


Need a Light?

by imagentmichigan



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, F/M, Fake AH Crew, I'm not going into harsh shit in this fic, M/M, More Chapters to Come, Recreational Drug Use, Sort of slow-build, only weed, the rating may change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:50:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 33,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagentmichigan/pseuds/imagentmichigan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of how Ryan Haywood met Gavin Free and fell in love. Plus a lot of other fun things that happen afterwards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ryan Haywood had been a mercenary for hire for years, taking on odd jobs here and there for certain crews, picking and choosing which of those jobs he took. He took on jobs where a crew needed someone of importance taken out, jobs where he just needed to stand by for intimidation when a dealer got too ambitious and started asking for more money than was originally agreed on, stuff like that. He made it his goal not to get between crews though, so any jobs that were thrown his way that included taking out rival members of certain crews or anything like that, he tended to reject. He had a one hundred percent success rate, but he wasn't interested on picking any sides. That is, until a new crew arose, the Fake AH Crew. He'd heard of them in passing once or twice, but they'd never needed his services since they were still so small. When they began to rise up and gain more recognition though, he found himself having jobs offered here and there, and he always accepted. 

The first he'd met of them was Jack, who had approached him with the first of the offers and after he accepted, they ran several jobs together. She was the front runner for the most part, always needing him for back up when there was even a thought of threat from an arms dealer or anything like that. He found her company nice, even a little fun at times, though after the first few drives out he found himself taking the wheel to save himself from the motion sickness that her reckless driving caused. 

The next was Michael, the demo man. The jobs they'd run had were usually just small time robberies, though no matter what course of action they took, Michael always seemed to blow something up. The man was fun to be around, and Ryan found his energetic nature to be contagious. Whenever Ryan left Michael with his cut of the pay, he found himself feeling a slight buzz from the excitement of the job. 

After a few months came Ray, the resident sniper. Ryan had for the most part stopped accepting jobs from other crews at this point, only taking them when money was running low. So, when the chance arose to take on a bigger job with the crew, he'd taken it. Usually the jobs he ran with Ray included stealth missions, taking out certain people who'd managed to screw over the crew in a deal, or back up in situations when things had gotten out of hand during a robbery that Jack and Michael were conducting. Ray had a certain charm about him, and Ryan couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was all the lewd jokes he made, or the fact that whenever they were waiting for their chance he'd pull out a DS and play some ridiculous game to pass the time. 

Six months after he'd started taking jobs from the FAHCs, he'd cut off contact with every other crew, taking only their jobs. That's when he met Geoff. Jack had driven to his apartment one night, telling him that Ramsey himself had asked to speak with him. Ryan had nodded, heading out with her as she drove him to their base. Once they'd reached the building, Jack lead Ryan into the elevator and up to the top floor. When they'd gotten there, Geoff was waiting, and he sat down. When Geoff gave the offer of joining the crew exclusively, Ryan knew he had to accept. He'd've been stupid not to, really. Geoff had patted him on the back and smiled big and wide when Ryan said yes. A few days later, Ryan had his own room in the big penthouse where all the main members lived. And that's where he'd met Gavin.

 

"Alright, now that you've got all your stuff settled into your room, I think it's time for the full tour." Jack said from the doorway of his room, as he pushed the last box out of the way. "You can put the rest of that away later." She told him, moving in to pull him up from where he sat on his bed. 

She lead him from his room at the end of the hallway, rattling off the names of whose room was whose. "Alright, the one on your left there is Geoff and Griffon's, they've currently got the biggest room. You won't see Griffon around too much though, she's usually got better things to do than stick around here, though I suggest you stay off of her bad side. The room on the right is Gavin's, and you probably won't see him too much either, which is a good thing. From there you got Michael's, though he spends most of his time a floor down with Lindsay. I keep telling him he should just move down there already or move her up here, but he's insistent on having his own space. Ray's is across from Michael's, and then mine's the furthest down on the left next to Ray's. Across from me is a bathroom, but that's mostly for guests seeing as we all have bathrooms in our rooms." She told him, leading him out into the open living room. "Here's the living room, self explanatory, and behind those blinds is the entrance to the balcony. If you're gonna smoke a cigarette, step out there or on your own balcony in your room. If you're gonna smoke weed, just...do it wherever I guess. We tried to confine Ray to his room, but he's constantly doing it wherever he pleases. You'll probably see Kerry up here with him occasionally. Through there is the kitchen and the door in the kitchen leads to the laundry room. Buy your own detergent and if you have any food you want just for yourself, I suggest you hide it in your room and get a mini fridge. These assholes are vultures who will take anything they get their hands on." 

Ryan nodded, looking around at the penthouse, taking in everything. This was his new home, this was his new family. He never thought he'd be as happy as he was right now. "Thanks for the tour, Jack." He said, smiling behind his mask. 

"No problem. Alright, if you excuse me, I have a deal to go make, and Michael's waiting for me downstairs. Have fun unpacking." She waved as she grabbed her keys and a duffle bag from the end table, heading for the elevator. 

As soon as the door shut, he made his way out to the balcony, leaning against the railing and setting his mask at his feet. He reached his hand into his jacket pocket, pulling out his cigarettes and lighter. Ryan looked out over the city as he tried to light his cigarette, becoming more and more frustrated as the lighter ceased to work. Finally, he threw it over the balcony, watching it fall down to the city below. 

"Need a light?" Ryan jumped as he heard a smooth, British voice pipe up behind him. Ryan turned, finding a blond man wearing sunglasses and a rumpled button up shutting the door behind himself as he stepped out.

"If you've got one." He replied, putting the cigarette back between his lips, holding his hand out as the man handed him a lighter before pulling out another one. "Thanks." He said, lighting his cigarette. 

"No problem. Though, can I bum a smoke off of you? I forgot that I haven't bought anymore yet." The guy chuckled nervously. 

"What kind of guy has a lighter to spare, but no smokes?" Ryan chuckled, handing him one. 

The man shrugged. "The kind who's a hacker who spends most of his time inside, but at the same time is also an enthusiastic arsonist who has an ever growing collection of lighters." He smiled, taking the smoke. 

Ryan laughed a bit, taking a drag. "Makes sense, I guess." He nodded, smiling back. He laughed again at seeing the Brit's face turn in disgust. "Let me guess, you're a menthol smoker?" He asked. 

"Generally, yeah. They're smoother with a cool touch to them, but a cigarette is a cigarette when you're desperate. It's Ryan, right?" He asked. "I'm Gavin, nice to meet you. Welcome to the crew, I guess." 

"Thanks." Ryan nodded, taking a drag before flicking his ash over the railing.

"It's pretty nice here, I think you'll like it. Though it can get pretty loud, especially when the Lads and I get to playing games. It's best to just block us out or join us, really." Gavin grinned. "So, I have a question. If you've got the mask, what's with the face paint? Like, are you trying to hide some serious scars, or do you just like the way it looks?" 

Ryan was taken aback by the question. No one had ever bother to ask him, they'd all been too afraid or too uninterested, so it was a change to meet someone so forthright about it. "It's more for added anonymity really." He said, then smirked a bit. "Maybe also because I like how it looks. And no, there's no disfiguring scars or anything, just my face." He answered. 

"Oh, okay. Cool." Gavin replied. "Honestly I just don't care about anonymity, I just do what I do. I like to leave my mark when I do something. Unless it comes to hacking, then anonymity is important. Can't have that shit tracked back to you." Gavin took a drag from his cigarette. "Though even then I'm behind a computer, so. But I guess you need it more than I do. Plus, it really adds to the intimidation factor, which I think it top." 

"Top?" Ryan asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. 

"Yeah, like great, or good. Top." Gavin explained in a way that suggested it wasn't the first time. He threw his cigarette over the balcony, putting his lighter back into his pocket. "I better head back in, I've got some work to finish up before dinner. Keep the lighter, I've got plenty. I'll see you around." He smiled, taking off his glasses and winking before heading back in. Ryan threw his own cigarette over the balcony before picking up his mask once more, replacing it on his head before heading back in to finish unpacking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reread through all of this after I'd gotten some sleep (since most of these chapters are written pretty much all through the night right after I get off of work, right when I'm most tired) and found some places that needed to be proofread, so I've gone back and fixed some mistakes. If you're reading through this after the mistakes are fixed, then congratulations! If you're rereading this (unlikely I'm assuming) I'm sorry for the mistakes here and there in my work, this is totally un-beta'd and written during moments of sleep deprivation! 
> 
> If there are any other mistakes anyone finds that I missed, please let me know and I shall fix them. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

It'd been a couple months since Ryan had moved into the penthouse. He'd been on some more jobs, met more of the crew members, like Kerry, Lindsay, and Griffon. He'd met a few others, but he never bothered to remember their names since he never spent much time with them. He'd met Kerry one day when he'd emerged from his room to find Kerry and Ray sitting on the couch in the living room, handing a bong back and forth between each other as weird videos played on the TV. Ryan only stuck around for a few minutes before he retreated back into his room. On another morning, after no sleep, he emerged from his room to find Griffon, Lindsay, and Jack all sitting around the table drinking coffee in their pajamas. He'd gotten himself a cup and joined them, being roped into the conversation. After spending a few hours talking with them, he'd decided that he liked Lindsay and Griffon. 

He'd even found himself coming out of his room more often to spend time with the guys whenever they played games, which usually ended the same way; with either Michael or Geoff tackling Gavin and throwing a few punches for something stupid he'd done, leaving the rest of them laughing from the couches. After each game session, Ryan would excuse himself to the balcony where Gavin would join him shortly after, always asking if he needed a light. After a while, Ryan had even begun filling half his cigarette packs with menthols just for Gavin, making sure to get the brand he liked after he'd learned what it was. 

Tonight, however, he and Ray had just returned from a job. Ryan had taken to the more up-close tactic, taking people out with a knife while Ray took on the role of the distance man, sniping people from afar. They'd been tasked with infiltrating a rival gang's base, taking back a bit of product that had been stolen from them. It was 4am and all Ryan wanted to do was change from his blood soaked clothes before settling in to finish his most recent book. 

When he'd reached his room, he'd stripped down and headed into the bathroom in his room. He shut the door, turning on the water before shifting to the sink. He took off the mask, revealing the face paint underneath, frowning as he realized some of it had smudged during a struggle. He picked up a rag with a sigh, wiping it away. Ryan thought back to the others, realizing that even after all this time, most of them still had some underlying fear of him. He'd see it in the way they'd stiffen whenever he'd get up, whenever he'd shoot a glare to Gavin (even though his glares never really held anything to them), whenever he'd say something that sounded a little threatening in any way. 

Once the face paint was off, he stepped into the shower, letting his hair down before stepping under the steaming spray. He closed his eyes, thinking back to Gavin. While the others still held some fear for him, or had at least feared him when they met him, Gavin never had that. He'd always been forthright, always spoke his mind, even spat out ridiculous hypotheticals at him whenever he could. Ryan found himself smiling at the thought of the Brit, and quickly shoved his feelings down. He was getting too attached, and he knew it. Gavin didn't feel the same, he treated Ryan just like he treated everyone else. Ryan was no different, and he knew it. 

When the water started to grow cold, he turned off the shower, grabbing a clean towel to dry off as he stepped out. He wrapped the towel around his waist before heading into his room, shocked to see Gavin laying on his bed, playing on his phone. "I put your laundry in the washer, so it wouldn't stain too badly." Gavin spoke up, not sparing Ryan a glance. 

Ryan nodded, moving to the walk in closet on the other side of the room. "Thanks Gav." He said, changing quickly into something he could sleep in. He stepped back out, glancing at his jacket before grabbing it, looking to Gavin.

Gavin looked up, lips quirking up into a smirk. "Need a light?" He asked, waiting for Ryan to nod before standing up to follow him onto the balcony off of Ryan's room. 

Ryan pulled out a couple cigarettes from his pack, throwing his jacket onto the ground outside of the door. He waited for Gavin to light his cigarette before taking the lighter and lighting his own. "So why aren't you asleep?" Ryan asked, taking a drag. 

Gavin shrugged, picking up Ryan's jacket before pulling it on. "I was up late doing some surveillance, then I just couldn't sleep. When I heard Ray and you come in, I figured I'd come and say hi." Gavin said, wrapping himself in the jacket. Ryan ignored the warmth that came with seeing Gavin in his jacket. "You know, I think this is the first time I've ever seen you without your face paint." Gavin stated, smiling a bit. "I like it. You should go without more often." 

Ryan shrugged, turning to face the city. "I'll think about it, but no promises." He said. 

"At least wear it less often with me?" Gavin asked in a shy tone, making Ryan smile a bit. 

"Alright." He agreed, leaning out on the railing a bit. He turned back to Gavin, watching him looking out at the city lights himself. "You should really go to bed after this, you look tired as hell. Plus I think Geoff wants to have a meeting later, I think I heard Griffon talking to Jack about it before I left." 

Gavin shook his head, turning back to Ryan. "Maybe later. I'm not that tired right now." He smiled, moving a little closer to Ryan. "Jesus, how are you not cold right now? It's bloody cold as dicks out." 

Ryan chuckled, moving to huddle against Gavin. "That's because it's almost November, of course it's cold. And besides, I just got out of a warm shower." He said, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

"You're like a sodding portable heater, it's ridiculous." Gavin huffed, blowing out smoke. 

"Shouldn't you be used to this weather? You did come from England after all." Ryan asked, throwing his cigarette over the edge. 

"Yeah, like ten years ago! And it doesn't mean I don't hate the cold. I came here to escape the cold, to be warm. So shut it, Rye-bread." Gavin scowled, throwing his own over the edge before moving away to head back in. 

Ryan followed after, shutting the door behind himself before he grabbed his book and settled into his bed. He didn't even look up as Gavin climbed in next to him on the other side, moving close and putting his cold feet against Ryan's warm legs. Ryan swatted at him, causing Gavin to squawk. "If you're gonna shove your cold feet all over me, you can go back to your own room." 

"But Ryan, lovely Ryan, I'm cold! Would you really kick me out?" Gavin pouted up at Ryan, moving a bit closer as the other sighed and shook his head.

Ryan turned his attention back to his book as Gavin pulled out his phone once more, playing whatever stupid game he was into this week. After Ryan finished his chapter, he set his book back onto the table and shut off the light, laying down on his side as he closed his eyes. He heard Gavin's phone lock and expected him to get up, but all he heard was Gavin setting his phone onto the other table before feeling the other's arms wrap around his waist. Ryan leaned into the touch, smiling a bit. "Night Gavin." He whispered, smiling wider as he heard Gavin mutter it back. He fell asleep to the sounds of Gavin breathing in his ear and the feel of cold feet resting against his leg.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryan awoke the next morning around noon to a hand running through his hair and a voice whispering his name in his ear. Ryan let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes to see Gavin leaning down beside his bed, smiling softly. "Hey, there you are." Gavin murmured, retracting his hand. "I made you coffee. Black and bitter, just how you like it. Geoff told me to come wake you up, he wants to start that meeting soon."

Ryan grunted in acknowledgment, slowly sitting up and stretching before taking the offered coffee. "Thanks, Gav." Ryan muttered, sipping the drink. "How long have you been up?" He asked as he threw his legs over the bed. 

"Just long enough to make coffee and to have Geoff tell me to wake you up. I think he had me do it because he's too scared and he knows I'm quick, but I don't mind. You don't have to worry about getting dressed just yet, you can just head out." Gavin waited until Ryan nodded before grabbing Ryan's jacket and his own sweater with a smile. "Need a light?" Gavin asked. 

"Sure." Ryan nodded again, standing up and following Gavin out of the room and onto the balcony. He set his coffee down on the table out there before he grabbed the jacket offered to him, pulling out his cigarette and putting it between his lips before handing over the pack and picking his coffee up once more. "Do you know what the meeting is about?" Ryan asked, leaning forward as Gavin held out the lighter to light Ryan's smoke. 

"Geoff's got a heist laid out, he's had me helping for a couple of days." Gavin told him. "It'll be bloody brilliant if we can pull it off. Heist of the year." He chuckled, leaning out over the railing. 

"You gonna tell me more, or are you gonna make me wait?" Ryan asked as he sipped his coffee. 

"I'll tell you that it came from a suggestion you made in passing while Geoff was drunk. The rest you can wait for." Gavin smirked, leaving Ryan scowling as he tried to recall what all he'd suggested in the last couple of months. 

They finished their cigarettes in a comfortable silence, and as they threw their cigarettes over the edge Ryan also poured out the last tiny bit of his coffee, following Gavin in. He didn't even bother dressing, just walking out and down to the living room after grabbing his mask and putting it on his head. When they reached the living room, he noticed Lindsay and Kerry there along with the rest, meaning this was going to be bigger than just a six man job. 

"Finally, everyone's here!" Geoff announced as Ryan and Gavin sat down wherever they could find space. "Now we can get this show on the road. Okay, so firstly, I'd like you all to thank Ryan for having this amazing idea, and then I'd like you guys to thank Gavin and Jack for helping me set this into motion. Now, lately, we've only been going for nickels and dimes, hitting lower priority targets."

"Oh, so we're moving up to quarters now?" Michael chimed in with a grin. 

"Exactly. We're growing bigger, which means our targets gotta be bigger now. And in four days, what better chance to do that than to hit an armored truck heading for the Maze Bank?" Geoff replied, pulling out a map. "So we've got it mostly planned out, we just need to start preparing to put the plan into motion."

"So what is the plan?" Ray piped up, looking around. 

"Ray, I'm glad you asked." Geoff pulled out a marker, drawing a path on the map. "This is the route the armored truck will be taking, and we need to grab it about right here." He drew a dot on the map where Ryan knew there was a freeway heading out of town. "This heist is gonna consist of three teams, the ground team, the chopper team, and Gavin. Now, Gavin's job is to stay here and hack into traffic security feeds, that way when the truck is nearing the target point we'll know and we'll be able to corner it. Now, the ground team will consist of Ryan, myself, Lindsay, and Michael. Ryan and myself will be driving two non-descript vehicles to use to stop the truck. We will then be taking out the driver and the guard in the passenger seat and climbing in. Ryan, you're gonna need to make sure you have plenty of ammo and ammo and firearms, got it?" 

"I can do that." Ryan replied, nodding from his seat. 

"Now, this is where the chopper comes in. Jack, from there you're gonna swoop in and pick us up before the police even arrive at the scene. From there we'll head north of out town to get even further out of town and away from the cops. Michael and Lindsay, you need to find a discreet location where we can put down the armored truck safely, at which point Ryan and I will hop out. Michael, you need to have small charges waiting to put on the truck so we can get it open. If there's a guard in the back, we kill him and take the money. The money will be split up in two getaway vehicles and we'll go our separate ways. 

"Now, at this point the cops will be onto us so we're gonna need a distraction. The chopper team will fly off and cause a little chaos while we're hitting the truck, keeping the cops off our asses. When we're safe and in the clear, Gavin's gonna send out a few false alarms for the police to chase which will make it easier for the chopper team to shake the popo so they can ditch the chopper, get a car, and head back to us. The money will be split up and we'll have bevs back here. Now, starting today we're gonna need to start preparing. Lindsay, Ryan, Ray, and Kerry, you're all gonna need to head out to get some getaway cars. Tomorrow, you'll be planting them where they need to go and you'll need to mark them on the map. Michael, you and Jack will head out and get you all the explosives the ground team and the chopper team will need. Tomorrow, Jack and I will be getting that chopper from our contact. Gavin in the mean time will be setting up everything he needs at home base. Everyone understand their jobs? Good. Alright, you've got an hour to get ready before I'm sending you all out to get your shit. Don't fuck anything up, this heist needs to be perfect, got it? Alright, everyone go get ready." Geoff concluded the meeting by rolling the map back up and handing it to Lindsay, no doubt so she could mark where all the cars would be going on the map. 

Ryan stood up and stretched before heading into his room, deciding to change first before moving into the bathroom to apply his face paint. After he'd started applying it, he heard a knock at his bathroom door and he looked over to see Gavin standing in the doorway. "Need a light?" Gavin asked.

"After I'm done with this." Ryan told him, turning back to the mirror to finish his face paint. 

Ryan glanced over at Gavin, who'd taken to watching him in awe as he applied the paint. "I didn't realize just how cool it was to watch you put that stuff on." Gavin commented, causing Ryan to chuckle deeply. 

"It's really not as cool as you'd think, it's just throwing paint on." Ryan told him as he finished up and began putting it away. 

"I think it's cool to watch though. You're really good at it, though I guess that's the point. You've probably done that thousands of times, yeah?" Gavin rattled off as he lead Ryan to the balcony. 

"Something like that." Ryan shrugged, grabbing out the cigarettes and handing one to Gavin. "I've applied it a lot, I know that." Ryan shrugged, grabbing the lighter from Gavin. 

"It looks good, though I think you look better without it." Gavin hummed as he took a drag from his cigarette. 

"Thanks." Ryan murmured with a small smile. "So you're on computer duty? Gotta suck being away from the action."

Gavin shrugged. "It's not bad, plus I know I'll get time in the field later. I like being behind the computer some times, mostly because I know that if I'm out on the field most times I'm gonna fuck everything up. Usually there's a lot of unplanned fires and explosions." 

Ryan nodded, blowing out smoke. "Now I understand why you're not coming with us then." Ryan chuckled. They sat there, smoking together for several more minutes before Ryan threw his cigarette over the railing. "We should probably get inside, I big heist to prepare for." 

Gavin threw his own cigarette over the railing after Ryan, sending Ryan a smile before heading inside. Ryan just smiled back and headed in after him.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the day of the heist finally. Ryan hadn't been able to sleep the night before, instead spending the time reading just to pass the time. When the clock on his bedside table read 5am, he set his book down back onto the side table and climbed out of his bed. He made his way over to the closet, grabbing out his cat shirt and a pair of jeans before making his way to the bathroom. Ryan looked in the mirror as he started the shower, thinking to himself how thankful he was to have his face paint and mask to hide the dark bags under his eyes. Ryan stepped into the shower with a sigh, already feeling the excitement that the heist had in store for them all. He lathered up his hair with shampoo as he let himself get lost in thought about how the day would go. The whole thing was planned out perfectly, and Ryan knew it would go off without a hitch. They'd spent every possible minute of the last four days preparing the plan, coming up with back up plans and preparing for those and so on. Even if something went wrong, Ryan knew that at the end of the day, they'd come out on top, several thousand dollars (if not more, this was an armored truck after all) richer. 

After Ryan had stepped out and dried off, he dressed himself slowly, trying to eat up some time before the heist. He pulled out his face paint, opening it up and setting it in front of him. Today he would apply it as neatly and slowly as possible, making sure it looked perfect. He let his hand glide over his skin as he drew the marks on his face, making sure everything was a bit darker than usual today, a sharper contrast. When he'd finished, he looked at himself in the mirror and smiled, liking what he saw. Ryan looked at the door as he heard a soft knock, frowning as he made his way over. He opened the door to his room, smiling softly as he saw Gavin standing outside, still groggy from having just woken up. "Need a light?" Ryan asked, making Gavin smile and nod. 

Ryan moved aside from the door, grabbing his jacket as he lead Gavin towards the balcony door, as he'd done so many times. When they got outside, Ryan pulled out the last two cigarettes in his pack, a menthol and a regular. "Looks like you'll need to get more after the heist." Gavin hummed, yawning a bit as he pulled out his lighter. 

"I think it's your turn to buy a couple packs, actually." Ryan smirked, lighting both the cigarettes before handing Gavin his. "I've only bought them all the last two and a half months." He teased as Gavin pouted, taking a drag from his cigarette. "So what're you doing up this early anyway? It's barely 7am." 

Gavin yawned again before answering. "I wanted to wake up a bit early to make sure everything was in order. I'll wake up a bit more after a Red Bull. You were up real early, though. I can tell. Your hair's damp and your make up looks fantastic. Must've taken almost an hour to make it look like that. It's scary as hell, Ryan. I like it." Gavin smiled up at him, leaning against the railing. "The cat shirt makes you look really unstable though. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you are the famous Vagabond after all, Mad Merc and all that." 

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment, an insult, or somewhere in between." Ryan said, narrowing his eyes. 

"It's a compliment!" Gavin squeaked, looking offended. "It's good for a heist! Jesus, Rye, think less of me why don't you." Gavin muttered. 

"Oh shut it, you know I'm just teasing. Thank you." Ryan chuckled, patting him on the shoulder as he finished his cigarette. "Looks like everyone's gonna be getting up soon. Geoff's gonna wanna debrief us before we all head out, so if you plan on getting dressed you should probably do it soon." Ryan told him, throwing his cigarette over the railing, making his way to the door. He stopped as Gavin grabbed his arm, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?" He asked. 

Gavin opened his mouth, then shut it, as if he thought twice about what he was about to say. "Good luck today on the heist, Rye-bread." Gavin said as he let go of Ryan's arm, smiling instead before finishing his own cigarette. "I should probably go get dressed before it's too late and I'm stuck behind a computer in my pajamas all damn day." Gavin pushed past Ryan, keeping his eyes down as he moved away. 

Ryan furrowed his brow as he watched Gavin, but said nothing as he followed him inside. 

 

...

 

Ryan bounced his left leg up and down as he drove along the freeway, tuning out the chatter in his earpiece from his teammates. He had to stay focussed, had to keep his eyes peeled for the armored truck. 

"Alright, it looks like the truck is only about five miles away. Jack, Kerry, Ray, if you turn to your right you'll probably see it coming up in the distance. Geoff, Ryan, if you're gonna stop it where you need it you need to slow down for a couple miles. As soon as it comes into your view, slam on the brakes as soon as possible." Ryan heard Gavin say over everyone, slowing his car as per instruction. "It should be on top of you within a few minutes, keep your eyes peeled. Michael, Lindsay, how we looking?" 

"We're all good here, but then again Lindsay had to put us all the way up in butt-fuck county." Michael griped from his end, and Ryan drowned out her protests. Ryan sped up just a hair, and as he saw the armored truck in the next lane over he slammed on the brakes, tires squealing as he aimed himself towards the direction of the armored truck. He saw Geoff's car do the same seconds after him, effectively cutting off the truck's path, causing the truck to come to a halt. 

"We've got the truck stopped! Ryan and I are getting out now, so you better be in position Jack!" Geoff yelled over the headset as both he and Ryan got out of their cars. 

Ryan pulled a pistol from his hip holster, aiming at the guard in the passenger seat. He pulled the trigger, watching as blood sprayed from the back of the man's head seconds before the same happened to the driver. Ryan waited for a moment as Geoff broke the window with his elbow, unlocking the truck before opening his door and throwing out the driver. Ryan gave the passenger the same treatment, climbing in and buckling immediately before shutting his door. "We're ready, Jack, pick us up!" Ryan snapped as Geoff buckled. 

Ryan grabbed onto the dash and the door as the truck was lifted from the ground, his knuckles going white as he tried to keep from swinging from side to side with the truck. He heard Geoff groan beside him, afraid to look over for fear of getting any woozier than he was. 

After several minutes the truck was finally released onto the ground in front of Michael and Lindsay, and Ryan immediately unbuckled before grabbing his things. As he stumbled from the truck he put his hands on his knees, leaning over as he tried to calm the motion sickness. He could hear the sounds of Geoff retching behind him and Michael setting the charges up. Ryan took a few deep breaths before standing up, walking slowly to the back of the truck. Michael handed him a duffle bag for the money as Lindsay pressed the button that Michael had given her to set off the charges with, and the doors burst open in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw a guard in the back, holding up a shotgun and aiming it right at him. He only had seconds to pull out his own gun as the guard fired off a shot right into his left shoulder. Ryan let out a cry of pain before he lifted his gun, staring the guard down as he fired a shot off into his head. 

Lindsay's hand shot out, picking up the duffle bag from where Ryan had dropped it and throwing it to Michael. "What the fuck, you said you were gonna shoot the guard as soon as the doors opened, Michael!" Lindsay yelled as she helped Ryan to his knees.

"What the fuck happened?!?" Ryan heard Ray and Jack yell over the earpiece, their voices overlapping. 

"Ryan's been shot, that's what happened! Fucking Michael didn't do his fucking job!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't expecting him to shoot at the same goddamn moment the doors burst open!" Michael screamed back, yelping as Geoff smacked him over the head. 

"You always expect things like that!" Geoff yelled. "Jack, the chopper team needs to act as distraction right now because I'm hearing sirens. Gavin, call Caleb and tell him to make sure he's got his shit out and prepped for Ryan when we get back. Michael, start grabbing money, we've got plenty of duffle bags to fill. Lindsay, help Ryan into the car and then come start helping us. The faster we get this done, the faster we can get Ryan to Caleb." 

Ryan shook his head, standing up. "I'm fine, really." He murmured, even though any time he shifted his arm a white hot pain flashed through him. "I've had worse. I can help." He started to stagger forward to the truck, but a hand on his chest stopped him. 

Lindsay glared up at him, grabbing his arm. "You're really not okay. C'mon, we're getting you into the car." She practically growled, leading him to the car. The sound of sirens began to disappear into the distance as Ryan heard far-off explosions. 

With Lindsay's help, Ryan managed to climb into the back of the car, sprawling out a bit. "Chopper team is effectively luring the police away, you guys are free to go as soon as you've got the money in the bags." Kerry informed them over the earpiece, and the sound of a loud explosion came through shortly after. "Trust me, they'll be on us for awhile." 

"Got it." Geoff replied. After a few minutes, Lindsay returned with two heavy-looking duffle bags, throwing them into the passenger seat. "Michael and Geoff have almost three full duffles and we've got two full ones. The truck is cleaned out and we are heading back to base now. Gavin, is Caleb getting set up?" Ryan heard Lindsay say from the front seat as he lifted up his other hand, taking off the mask so he could breathe a little easier. 

"He's all set up, I made sure. Tell me when your ETA is two minutes, I'll start setting off false alarms for the police to chase so Chopper team can make their way back." Gavin snapped, obviously trying and failing to keep anger out of his voice. 

Ryan's eyes closed as he heard Gavin's voice over the speaker, and when he opened them they were suddenly back at the base. He looked around, moving his feet finally when he found them dragging against the ground as Michael and Geoff manhandled him towards the building. "Oh, we're here. When did that happen?" Ryan mumbled, thinking now that maybe the bullet wound was a lot worse than he originally felt. 

"Yeah Rye, we're here, don't worry." Michael muttered back, grunting as he picked up Ryan a little more. Ryan looked up as the door to the garage opened and a stretcher was wheeled out. "Fuckin' finally Caleb, where were you two minutes ago when we needed your help getting his ass out of the car!?" 

Ryan closed his eyes again as he was set down on the stretcher, and this time he felt himself drift off as he was wheeled into the building.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not know much about armored trucks. I went through about an hour of research on google and all I know is that some can hold millions while others only hold smaller amounts of money. I'm not sure what denominations they hold, but I know some hold coins and shit so I'm guessing they hold all kinds of denominations, especially since they're going to banks. Also, I did find a physics article that tells you how to calculate how much is in an armored truck, but it was too much work and math so I never did it. So, basically what I'm trying to say it, all of this armored truck stuff is bullshit to help the plot. What little plot there really is. This whole story sucks but I'm too far in and I'm only thinking of better things that might make it better. Anyways, enjoy!

When Ryan's eyes opened once more, he founds that he was laying down in a brightly lit white room. He sat up slowly, using his right arm since his left arm was now in a sling. He reached up and felt at his shoulder, feeling gauze over where the gunshot wound was. Ryan looked around the room, noticing his blood-soaked shirt cut up and hanging over the side of the trash can. He sighed at the sight of it, thinking about how he'd need to buy a new one. 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking his time to stand up, knowing there had to be some kind of drug in his system which would be working against him. As he began walking, the door swung open, revealing Geoff on the other side. "Whoa, buddy, you shouldn't really be walking. Caleb pumped you full of all kinds of shit when you got here." He said, moving a hand out to steady Ryan.

"Nah, I'm fine. I've had worse." Ryan repeated his earlier words. 

"Dude, you took a shotgun shell to the shoulder. Let me tell you right now, Caleb spent hours picking out the pieces. You're lucky nothing too vital got hit. Caleb patched you up within a few hours and says you'll make a full recovery though, which is good. Though, I came down here to see if you're up. I got good news buddy, you're gonna love it." Geoff grinned, helping Ryan from the room. 

"Yeah? Tell me about it."

Geoff made an excited noise, leading Ryan towards the elevator. "Well, after counting all the bills, which was a lot mind, you, it's estimated we got away with millions. Of course, we're not sure how much yet, because there's a bunch of stacks of all denominations, but I've got Kdin running some numbers. We're fucking rich, I tell you! God, this feels great. It's gonna feel even better when in a few months we hit the Maze Bank itself. But that's in the future, for now let's focus on all the money we've got now. There's so many deals we could make, so many things we could buy for the penthouse, and so many more nice cars." Geoff rambled as he pressed the button for the elevator. "Maybe now I can get Gavin a new car, so he can stop driving around that fuckin' ugly purple plum of his." 

Ryan nodded as he leaned against the elevator wall, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. He was surprised to find that his hand was a little black as he pulled it away from his face, frowning. "You guys left my face paint on?" He asked, looking over to Geoff. 

"Yep. It's smudged all to hell, but it's there. Gavin mentioned something about how you didn't like it when it was off, and even insisted we not take it off you. Lucky for him it didn't need to come off anyway." Geoff explained, grabbing Ryan's arm as the elevator came to a stop. "Alright, I'm gonna take you to your room and help you put a shirt on, I'm sick of seeing your pale skin out in the open to blind everyone." Ryan glanced over at the couch, seeing Michael and Ray looking over at him and away from their game. He smiled at them, trying to show that he didn't have any hard feelings. He understood that mistakes were made, but it was a little late to be angry now. 

Once they'd reached his room, Geoff helped him into a plain grey shirt and then onto his bed. "Try to get some rest, alright?" Geoff said as he left the room, shutting the door. 

Ryan sighed, reaching over to grab his book off the side table. It took him a minute of struggling to open it one-handed before he gave up, setting it aside again with a sigh. He looked up as his door opened once more and a soft knock sounded from the door, smiling as he saw Gavin standing in the doorway. "Hey there. Need a light, Gav?" He asked as Gavin entered the room. 

Gavin shook his head, only making his way to the bathroom and returning with the rag Ryan used to wipe away his face paint. "Nah. How you feeling?" He asked, moving to remove the face paint. 

"Well, I can't feel any pain right now, so whatever Caleb gave me is working." Ryan replied. "Heard we made off with a bunch of cash. How did the rest of the heist go?" Ryan asked. 

"It was good, everything went according to plan. The police finally let off of the Chopper team and they made it to the ground and headed home. No one else got hurt." Gavin told him as he wiped at his face. After a moment he set the rag aside, apparently having gotten all the face paint off. "Caleb gave me these for you. You're supposed to take one every few hours." Gavin said, pulling out a bottle of pills from his sweater pocket and setting them on the side table.

Ryan glanced at the bottle, then back at Gavin. "Be sure to let Caleb know I said thanks." He told him, smiling up at Gavin. 

"I will." Gavin smiled back, moving around the bed to climb in next to Ryan. "I'm glad you're okay." He murmured as he settled in, shifting closer. 

Ryan's heart swelled, and he shifted his right arm to wrap around Gavin. "I'm glad you're glad." He mumbled back, patting Gavin's shoulder. 

They lay like that for several minutes in silence, a weird tension settling in around them. Ryan looked down at Gavin as he felt arms wrap their way around his midsection, pulling him a bit closer. He smiled softly as Gavin looked up at him. Ryan let himself get lost in the other's hazel-green eyes, thinking that later if he needed to, he could chalk it up to being drugged up. After a moment though, Gavin moved a bit closer, so that Ryan could feel his breath on his cheek. All of a sudden Gavin's lips were on his, and he felt a hand move up to tangle into his hair. Ryan brought up his own hand to rest against Gavin's cheek, pulling him in closer as he kissed back. After a moment he broke away, smiling as he rested his forehead against the Brit's. 

"'Been wanting to do that for awhile now." Gavin murmured, smiling back down at Ryan. 

"Yeah?" Ryan asked softly, stroking a thumb over Gavin's cheek. "Same. Guess we're both morons." He laughed, pulling Gavin in for another kiss. 

"Guess so." Gavin murmured against his lips as the kiss broke once more, settling in more against Ryan's side. 

Ryan let his fingertips run across Gavin's shoulder as the other nuzzled into his neck, breathing softly in his ear. He leaned down, placing a kiss onto the top of Gavin's head before he drifted off into sleep once more, feeling much better now that Gavin was by his side. 

...

When Ryan woke up again, it was to soft kisses pressed to his neck and fingers tracing slow patterns on his chest. Ryan hummed his approval, moving closer to Gavin as he brought a hand up to run along Gavin's cheek. 

Gavin smiled against his skin before pulling away, looking down at Ryan. "We should go out, have some fun." Gavin grinned widely, a glint in his eye and Ryan knew was trouble. Though, this was Los Santos, where gangs lay in wait and crews lift armored trucks after all. Trouble was to be expected, trouble was to be caused. Ryan felt an itch rise up at the thought of causing some trouble with Gavin, an itch he needed to scratch. 

"What'd you have in mind?" He asked, grinning back up at Gavin as he slowly sat up. 

Gavin thought for a minute before his smile grew wider. "A celebration of a good heist. I don't know about you, but I think I need a light. A big one." He winked, crawling out of the bed as Ryan chuckled. 

"Yeah? How big? As big as a convenience store?" He asked innocently, standing up. "Because I think that can be arranged." He said, moving to his closet as he took some of the pills left for him before pulling on a pair of jeans. The process was a bit awkward with one arm, but somehow he managed. 

"You think?" Gavin cooed, smiling as he waited for Ryan to emerge before throwing him his jacket. 

Ryan nodded. "I do indeed. Alright, I'm dressed, you should probably get dressed yourself." He said, placing a gun at the small of his back in its proper holster before throwing a couple small boxes of ammo in the inside pocket of his jacket. "Can't go out looking like that." 

Gavin looked himself over, nodding. "You know what, I think you're right." He agreed, heading out of the room for his own. Ryan quietly left his room, shutting the door behind him. A few moments later, Gavin exited his room in front of him wearing a pair of jeans and a hastily-thrown on button down. "I'm ready." He said quietly, throwing a bag over his shoulder that Ryan had no doubt was partially filled with weapons of sorts. 

Ryan looked over at Ray and Michael as they walked out, noting that the only difference he could see since he'd gotten back were several empty Red Bulls and empty snack bags. "We'll be back later, bye guys!" Ryan said quickly as he and Gavin rushed out, giggling in the elevator as they made their way onto a night of adventure.


	6. Chapter 6

They didn't end up making their way back to the penthouse until the sun came up in the morning, and even then they went straight to the balcony, choosing instead to have a cigarette as the city burned. In the distance Ryan could hear sirens blaring as smoke rose above the city in many different places. They'd hit a few targets, deciding to rob a gas station of all their good cigarettes and taking the money in the register first. Ryan felt a thrill as he pulled the trigger on the store clerk, feeling something like nostalgia creep up as he did. The last time he'd killed a man for fun it'd been for a rival crew almost a year ago, and he didn't realize how much he'd missed the feeling. 

Before they left the place, Gavin pulled out the gas pump, spraying the gas all over the front of the store before spraying a neat line from the pump as far as he could reach into the street and away from the gas station. As they left, Ryan pulled out the lighter that Gavin had given him the first day they'd met from his pocket, leaning down and lighting the line of gas before taking Gavin's hand and running around the corner. Gavin pulled Ryan in for a kiss as the station blew up, giggling as the sound of screams could be heard in the distance. 

The next few stores start and end the same, with a robbery and then a fire. By the time the sun began to come up and they'd made their way back, they were almost five thousand dollars richer and stocked on cigarettes for weeks. When the smoke died down a bit, they headed back inside, smiling innocently as they came face to face with Griffon, who was looking out of the window with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm assuming this is your work?" She asked, looking over between the two. Ryan noticed the way her eyes looked Gavin over, the concern of a mother written all over her face. 

Gavin looked out of the window and nodded, smiling proudly at his work. "It was a fun night." 

Ryan looked away from her and took a step away from Gavin as he noticed that they were close enough that their arms brushed together at the smallest of movements. He happened to glance back over to see her gaze resting on his mask, and he expected to see fear and disapproval in her eyes...but instead he found what looked to be a little bit of fondness. Ryan locked eyes with her for a moment, and watching the way she glanced between the two of them before looking back at Ryan with a smile. "I'm sure it was. I'm glad you both came home safe." She said, standing up and heading to the kitchen. "You should probably get to sleep, boys. I'm sure you've had a long night." She said as she exited the room. 

Ryan looked down at Gavin, still staring out of the window and holding the duffle bag close to his chest. "C'mon, time for sleep." Ryan murmured, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hall to his bedroom. When the door was shut behind them, Gavin dropped the bag, letting out a yawn as he headed for Ryan's closet. "Whatcha doin'?" Ryan asked as he took off his mask, laying it beside his book on his table. He threw his new phone and the ammo onto the bed as well before carefully guiding his injured arm out of his jacket. 

"Finding something to wear. I can't very well go to bed in jeans, now can I?" Gavin asked, throwing his jeans and shirt out of the closet. Ryan just chuckled in response, shaking his head. When Gavin emerged Ryan laughed, biting his knuckle for a moment. "Wot?! Wot's so funny??" Gavin squeaked, pouting up at Ryan. 

"Nothing, it's just funny. You're drowning in my clothes, I love it." Ryan grinned, pulling him in to press a kiss to his forehead. "Alright, can you help me get out of my shirt?" Ryan asked as he pulled away. 

After a few minutes of struggling with Ryan's shirt, it finally came off and he was able to finish getting dressed and climb into bed. He lay on his right side, keeping his weight off of his injured shoulder. As Gavin settled in, Ryan wrapped his arm around Gavin as much as he could without hurting himself, holding him close. "Night Rye-bread." Gavin whispered, and Ryan could only smile and nuzzle closer as he drifted off to sleep. 

 

...

 

A couple weeks had passed before Geoff caught onto the fact that Gavin and Ryan had a thing. Ryan knew they weren't exactly subtle, but at the same time he'd kind of hoped Geoff just wouldn't notice. He threw that hope out of the window when he'd accidentally overheard Griffon and Geoff arguing about it one night after the lads had gone out for a 'bev night' as Gavin had put it and Jack had left in the middle of the night (her only words being that she had some "unfinished business to take care of", though Ryan never asked any questions, knowing better at this point). He'd retreated to his room pretty quickly once he'd heard Geoff start to tell Griffon about how dangerous he was and why he shouldn't be allowed near Gavin. 

After a month had passed since Gavin and Ryan first kissed and spent the night burning the city, Geoff managed to corner Ryan on the balcony one night after Michael, Ray, and Gavin had headed out on a mission given to them by Geoff. Ryan had just finished his cigarette and turned to head inside when he stopped short, his eyes widening at the murderous look on Geoff's face. "Geoff--" He'd began, but he was cut off as the man threw up his hand, glaring at him. 

Once Ryan had quieted, Geoff opened his mouth. "Alright, I have something to say. I don't care if Gavin likes you, or even that you're the fucking terrifying man in the whole damn city of Los Santos. If you hurt Gavin, at all, ever, I will kill you. I will fucking stand over your bed at night and I will stab you in the throat. That kid is like a son to me, and I'm not just gonna stand by idly if you hurt him in any way." Geoff growled, continuing his glare. 

Ryan's face hardened at the accusation, and after a moment of silence, Ryan spoke up. "Geoff, c'mon, you know you couldn't kill me if you tried. I'm not scared of you, I never will be. But I will tell you right now: I have no intention of ever hurting Gavin, not for a moment." Ryan snarled, stepping up into Geoff's space. "All I want is for him to be happy, it's all I've ever wanted since I got to know him. There's no need to threaten me, so back off." Ryan pushed passed him, leaving Geoff standing there in stunned silence on the balcony. 

Ryan opened the door to his room and entered, hiding away as he calmed down. Honestly, he wasn't sure if it was the fact that he hadn't slept in two days or the fact that he was just sick of the glares sent his way by Geoff, or if it was some weird mixture of the two that made him get up into his boss's face like that, though he knew he'd made a mistake. After a few moments, he grabbed his newest book from the side table and began reading it, careful of his sling as he flipped the pages. Around 1am, he looked up as Gavin walked into the bedroom, looking tired and beat all to hell. "Hey, how'd it go?" Ryan asked, setting the book aside for a moment.

"It went well. I think we sent a pretty good message to all of our rivals. They'll know not to fuck with us now." Gavin grinned as he stripped down from his soot-covered clothes heading into the bathroom for a shower.

"That's good." Ryan hummed, turning back to his book as Gavin showered. He finished about three more pages before Gavin emerged once more, smiling as he looked Gavin over, noting the clean pair of boxer-briefs and Ryan's new cat shirt. "That's a nice look for you. You should wear it more often." Ryan teased, marking his spot and placing the book back onto the side table. 

Gavin huffed as he climbed into bed, rolling his eyes. "Shut it, you. You know you love it." He said, nuzzling into Ryan. 

"Never said I didn't. Never said that." He wrapped his arms around the Brit, going silent for a moment before making his decision. "So, talked to Geoff today." He murmured, shifting as Gavin pulled away to look at him. 

"Oh. How'd that go?" Gavin asked, biting his lip. 

Ryan thought for a moment before looking down. "Well, it might have started with Geoff threatening me and ended with me telling him off and locking myself in here." He muttered, refusing to look Gavin in the eye. 

"Ryan, lovely Ryan, I'm sorry. Maybe I can talk to him tomorrow?" Gavin asked, pulling Ryan's face up to look at him. "I can reassure him of everything he needs. I'll tell him the things he doesn't know he wants to hear. It'll be top, and he'll come 'round." Ryan sighed at Gavin's cheerful voice, leaning down to give him a kiss. 

"Alright, if you think it'll help, but I'm not sure it will." Ryan yawned, kissing Gavin's nose. "Alright, I think it's time for bed. It's late." He mumbled, shifting from Gavin to let him turn off the light. 

"Yeah, definitely time for bed." Gavin hummed, turning off the lamp by his side of the bed. "You haven't slept more than a few hours in the last few days, you need to get some sleep." 

"Yeah, I do." Ryan yawned, rolling onto his right side to sleep. He shut his eyes as he felt Gavin nuzzle into his neck, letting himself drift off into much-needed sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Ryan jerked awake as he felt Gavin's hair tickle his nose, but could only smile as the Brit muttered a sleepy "'M sorry." Before turning his head away. Ryan rolled onto his back and pulled Gavin closer, smiling as the rays of sun bounced off of his tan skin and blond hair. Ryan brought up his hand to run through Gavin's bedhead, kissing his forehead. Gavin let out a low grumble, tilting his head up at Ryan with a soft smile. "Mm, Mornin' love." Gavin murmured up at him, bringing a hand up to rest on Ryan's chest. 

"Good morning." Ryan whispered, kissing the top of Gavin's head before looking down at him for a moment, taking in how beautiful the man next to him was. 

Gavin grinned sleepily as he looked back at Ryan, a look of slight confusion on his face. "Wot?" Gavin asked, moving to rest his chin on Ryan's chest. "What's that look for, love?" 

Ryan felt his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at Gavin, shifting his hand down to cup the side of his face. "Nothing, just..." 

"Just what?" 

"I love you." Ryan smiled nervously as the words popped out, knowing they were true as he looked down at the man who for the last three months has done nothing but make him the happiest he's been in the longest time. He was in love with a man who liked spitting out ridiculous scenarios, setting fires anywhere he could, menthol cigarettes, and had a smile like the shining sun. 

Gavin just shook his head as he chuckled, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Ryan's lips. "Good. I love you too." Gavin murmured back, pulling away to check the clock. "Bloody hell, is it really only 7:30am?? Nope, I'm staying here, I'm not getting up." Gavin huffed, pulling the blankets more securely around himself, glaring at Ryan. "Woke me up at 7:30 just to tell me you loved me, goddamn."

"To be fair, you woke me up first." Ryan chuckled, moving in to press kisses across any part of Gavin's skin he could reach. 

Gavin swatted at Ryan halfheartedly, laughing a bit. "That was on accident! You woke me up on purpose!" He giggled as Ryan shifted to hover over him. "Rye, be careful, you'll hurt yourself." Gavin warned, glancing at the arm he'd hurt almost a month ago. 

Ryan shook his head, barely feeling the pain. "Worth it. Totally worth it." He murmured, leaning down and pressing a hard kiss to Gavin's lips. He smiled after a moment, feeling a hand making its way up and under his shirt. "Mm, going somewhere with that?" He purred, leaning down to nip at Gavin's jaw. 

"I might." Gavin hummed back, leaning his head to the side to open up his neck for Ryan. "I mean, it is only 7:30, we've got plenty of time, right?"

Ryan grinned down at Gavin before leaning in once more, latching onto Gavin's neck where it connected with his shoulder and sucking a mark into his skin. "You're not wrong." He murmured, moving a hand to slowly tuck under Gavin's boxer-briefs before laughing. "Seriously though, who the fuck gets satin boxer-briefs?" He teased, sucking another mark into Gavin's neck. 

"Someone who likes to treat themselves once in awhile. They're nice and comfy! I'll have to get you a pair for your birthday. You'd look damn hot in them." Gavin smiled wickedly down at Ryan, rolling his hips up into the hand that was now cupping him in his underwear. 

Ryan just laughed, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, dear." 

...

Ryan smiled as he sipped his coffee, looking as innocent as he could as Jack noticed the marks peaking out from under the collar of Gavin's button down. "What happened here?" She asked, looking down at Gavin with concern. Ryan held in his laughter as Gavin's face immediately turned red and he looked away. 

"Dunno, must've happened last night when I went out with Michael and Ray." He muttered into his tea. 

Jack narrowed her gaze at him, looking down at his neck before shifting her gaze to Ryan. A look of realization dawned on her face, and she smirked at Ryan, obviously trying not to laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure that was it. Just be careful." She said, patting Gavin's shoulder before moving away to grab a coffee of her own. 

Ryan turned his glance to the door as Ray made his way in, yawning as he made his way to the fridge. "Are we out of Red Bull?" He asked before even looking in. 

"Nah, there's still a couple left. We'll have to run out and get some more tonight." Gavin answered, looking over as Ray pulled one out. 

Ray nodded, taking a seat at the table next to Gavin. "I'm going out tonight with Kerry anyway, so I'll grab some on my way back. Though if we run out before then you might wanna get some before I leave tonight." Ray told him, taking a sip. 

"Hey Ryan, Geoff just texted me, said he wants us to go out today. Got some guy who wants to make a deal with us, wants to sell us molly." Jack told him as she sat down. 

Ryan furrowed his brow, looking at her in confusion. "Who's Molly?" He asked, making Ray and Gavin burst into laughter. "What?" 

Jack chuckled. "Molly, it's a drug, not a person. It's a form of Ecstasy." Jack explained, grinning. 

"Oh. Well, shut up, I don't know much about drugs. I'm a former gun for hire, not a drug dealer." Ryan muttered defensively. 

Ray just shook his head. "That much is clear. It's kind of obvious, though I guess it prevents people from asking you things like if you wanna get down with Tina." Ray smirked. 

"Goddammit I just found out who Molly was, who's Tina?!” Ryan demanded, making Jack, Ray, and Gavin laugh even harder. 

Gavin put a hand on Ryan's arm, sucking in breath as he calmed down. "Rye, Tina's another name for meth." Gavin explained. 

Ryan glared at the three, crossing his arms. "Are there anymore goddamn code names I should know?" He muttered. 

"Well, Molly's Ecstasy, Tina's meth, Angie's cocaine, Mary Jane is Marijuana...Those are the big ones anyway." Gavin told Ryan. "The rest are just slang words that aren't too important." 

"I can't believe Ryan knows so little about drugs when he's worked for how many different drug dealers, and has worked with us for how many months!?" Ray wheezed, holding his side. 

"I was a gun for hire, I didn't have to pay attention! All I had to do was kill people and look intimidating!" He defended, standing up. "You're all pricks." He muttered, picking up his coffee and starting to move to the door. 

He stopped as Gavin grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "C'mon Rye, we're sorry. Sit back down, we'll all have a lovely chat." Gavin grinned. "Right guys?" He asked, looking to Jack and Ray who nodded in agreement. 

"C'mon Ryan, we'll be nice. Promise." Jack said sweetly, sipping her own coffee. 

Ryan shook his head, sitting back down. "Fine, but I don't have to be happy about it." He grumbled, taking a seat once more. Ryan looked up as Geoff walked in, and quickly turned his eyes to stare at his coffee, refusing to look Geoff in the eye. 

Ray started up a conversation about his latest speed run, and Jack told her own gaming adventures in return, but Ryan couldn't keep up with the conversation when he felt Geoff's eyes burning a hole into the side of his head. He glanced over as Gavin stood up, smiling down at Ryan before turning to face Geoff, no doubt silently summoning him to follow him from the room. A few moments after they'd left the room, Ryan turned his focus onto the conversation Jack and Ray were having. "You know Jack, if you play a campaign game with me this weekend I can get you all those secret achievements in the Halo games and show you where some of the easter eggs are." Ray was telling Jack, who nodded. 

"I'll have to take you up on that. Ryan, wanna get in on this?" She asked, looking over at him. 

Ryan shrugged. "As long as I'm not busy. I don't have most of the achievements on the new console anyway." 

"Alright, it's a plan then! We're playing this weekend." Ray said, pumping his fist in the air. "We should get more TVs and Xboxs before this weekend so we don't have to split screen anymore. We deserve it and we have the cash." 

"We can pick them up tomorrow?" Jack suggested. "I've been wanting a TV in my room for awhile now anyway. An extra Xbox couldn't hurt either." She grinned, checking her phone. "Alright, we've got about two hours before we've got to meet that potential client, so we should probably go start getting ready now, cuz he's about half an hour north out of the city, and you know I like to be a bit early."

"I'm driving." Ryan said quickly as he stood up. "I'm gonna drive so you might wanna give me directions once we're on the road." He tipped back the rest of the coffee, waving to Ray as he followed Jack from the room. 

"Alright, alright, I got it. Just go shower or change or whatever it is you plan to do to make yourself more intimidating." She giggled, grinning at him. "You should just learn to accept my driving and realize how fun it is." She hummed, walking down the hall. "Be ready in an hour!" She called out, heading into her room. 

"I will be!" Ryan called back as he paused in the living room. He turned his head to gaze out at the balcony, biting his lip as he saw Gavin speaking to Geoff in what looked to be an angry tone. He took a quick glance at Geoff's face, frowning as he saw a much different look there than he had held when he'd talked to Ryan yesterday. It was a look of...understanding? Or maybe something else, he had to be reading that wrong. Ryan tore his eyes away, heading instead for his bedroom to get ready for his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the lack of actual sex if you were looking forward to it but it's 5am I've been up for a long while and I'm gonna be up even longer because I have to work tonight. Though, if you ask you shall receive it in a later chapter, scout's honor. except I'm not a scout anymore. previous scout's honor.
> 
> also gonna be honest i had this idea for awhile but once you get down to writing the details it fucking gets away from you so a lot of this i never planned and it's a spur of the moment thing so if it seems disconnected at all anywhere or weird in any way i apologize I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. but I'm gonna finish this thing and then maybe stick to one shots until I can wrap my head around stuff.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you read this chapter you'll notice that I spent the night rewatching some GTA Rockstar heists as I wrote this. I am not one bit sorry the lines I took are gold and needed to be added in.

Ryan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of Jack's blue Adder as he made his way north, tuning out Jack singing to the radio as he focussed on the road. After they'd been driving for about twenty minutes though, the radio turned off. "So..." Jack began, causing Ryan to glance over. 

"So?" He asked, turning back to the road. 

"So, you and Gavin have been getting more serious." Jack said, getting straight to the point. 

Ryan was glad he had his mask on as he kept his eyes on the road. "And?" He asked, his voice low as he prepared to defend himself if he needed.

Jack threw up her hands, turning away from Ryan. "Hey, don't be like that. I think it's great." She said, putting her hands back into her lap. "Look, I know that Geoff is...well, protective of Gavin is how I would put it, but just ignore him. He basically adopted Gavin when he found him on the streets when the kid was just sixteen and picking pockets in order to be able to eat. They actually met when Gavin picked his and Griffon's pockets one night. They came back the next day, impressed he'd been able to take their wallets without noticing and took him in. Anyway, my point is, Geoff just does what he thinks is best for Gavin, but sometimes the parent in him can be a little blind. He'll come around. Anyone with eyes can see that you and Gavin are completely gone on each other." 

Ryan didn't answer her for a moment, taking the time to process everything that Jack had just told him. "Thank you." He murmured quietly, smiling softly behind the mask. 

"No problem, buddy." Jack hummed. "Though, that didn't stop us from thinking that you were gonna kill him every time he opened his mouth for the first month after you met him. Though, after you didn't, we started making bets on when you'd get together. I won about a thousand bucks from both Ray, Michael, and Lindsay. I bet on one month from that date, Ray said three, Michael said two, and Lindsay agreed with Michael. I was closest." She beamed, chuckling softly. 

Ryan sighed, flipping her off. "You're welcome for the fact my love life earned you money, but also fuck you guys."

Jack laughed harder, gripping onto the dash for a moment. "Thank you, Ryan. Oh, hey, that turn up here leads down to the contact's place." She pointed to a road up ahead, leaning back once more. "Hopefully the guy isn't as creepy as the last guy, and doesn't get greedy during the meeting." She sighed, crossing her arms. 

"I'm sure it'll be fine, don't worry." Ryan said as he turned onto the road she'd pointed out. 

They waited outside in the car for all of ten minutes before Jack finally stepped out, motioning for Ryan to follow her. She grabbed the bag from the foot of the passenger side, handing it over to Ryan before heading up to the house. She knocked twice on the door before taking a seat on one of the porch chairs, keeping her eyes on the door as Ryan stood behind her, hefting the bag onto his right shoulder. The contact and three other men answered the door minutes later, one holding a bag and the others standing behind the man she was meeting. "Good afternoon, gentlemen." She greeted smoothly, smiling up at them. 

Ryan looked between the four men, smirking behind his mask as they all looked at him uneasily for a moment before turning their focus back to Jack. "Good afternoon." The contact greeted back nervously, holding out a hand for her to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Miss Pattillo." 

"It's nice to meet you in person as well, Percival." She smiled, motioning for him to sit down. "So, you said you wanted to make a deal?" Ryan gave up on listening at that point. This wasn't his area, his job was to stand there and look intimidating, and if things escalated he was to jump in and deal with it. He let his gaze travel to the men behind Percival, giving them the coldest stare he could muster as he let his mind drift off for a moment. 

The first part of the meeting began out like a lot of the rest, smooth and on a good note. Ryan tuned back in about fifteen minutes in though as Jack's leg began bouncing softly, knowing something was up. "Look, all I'm saying is that if you were to take more than just the Mollies, then it would work out better for us. I'd get paid, and you'd get more drugs to distribute." Percival stated, sounding slightly agitated. 

"I'm sorry, but the deal we agreed upon before I came here was for the Molly alone. We can talk about an upgraded deal in the future, if you would like, but right now we've already got enough sources for almost all of the products we sell--" 

Percival slammed his fist onto his knee, and Ryan's hand slowly moved to the back-most side pocket of the duffle where he knew Jack had put a gun. "I'm telling you though, if you wanted you can take them off your payroll and add me instead. I offer a variety of products I make, and not only is most of it a higher grade I'm offering to sell it to you for less than them!" 

Jack shook her head, standing up. "I'm sorry, but the deal was for Molly. If you're not happy with that, then we can't make a deal." She told him, turning away to walk off the porch. 

"I--you're making a mistake!" Percival cried out, pulling out an SMG and aiming it towards her. Ryan pulled out the gun that was stashed in the bag, turning it onto Percival and the other men before they could take their own guns out as well. 

"I can put a bullet between all of your eyes before any one of you can even fire off a shot. We're not interested in a deal with you." He growled. "Maybe when you can all stop being petulant children we can try this again in the future. For now, I suggest you all go back into your house and let us leave before I kill you all and rob you blind." Ryan kept his gun trained on the men as they took their hands away from their holsters, one of them even taking Percival's gun from him. 

"Alright, we're gonna go inside." One of them spoke up, grabbing Percival's arm to tug him up from his seat. "We don't want no trouble, have a good night." 

Ryan nodded, keeping his gun trained on them until they had all headed inside and shut the door. He turned back towards Jack's blue Adder, making his way over to the driver's side to get in. He handed her the bag back before he started the car and backed up, heading back onto the road. "Well, that didn't go so great." He murmured, looking over at Jack. 

She sighed, bringing a hand up to rub her face. "If only he hadn't started pushing. Everything was going fine, he should have just taken the money and the deal and then maybe we could have worked something out later on. But no, he just had to go and try to get more. Goddammit, Geoff's gonna be pissed." Jack sighed angrily. "And not only that, but the prick had to go and pull a gun on me!" She groaned, shaking her head. "He did that knowing that you would stop him one way or another. The man's stupid, we're probably never gonna deal with him."

Ryan let out a noise of agreement. "Probably a good idea." He said, turning back onto the main road, heading back into town. "Kinda sad they gave up so quickly though. I was really hoping to go through with that threat." Ryan hummed, smiling as he heard Jack laugh. 

"Oh Ryan, you are one creepy mother fucker." She giggled, relaxing a bit more in her seat. 

"What? I'm just speaking the truth!" He grinned behind the mask. 

"You just wanted to see them with significantly less brain matter." She chuckled. "Well, I mean they would still have it, it'd just be on the ground next to them. They'd just no longer be in possession of it." 

Ryan laughed a little. "That's 9/10ths of the law! Legally, some of that brain matter would be mine!" Ryan told her gleefully as she laughed.

"Again, creepy mother fucker. Let's just head back so we can tell Geoff what's up." She laughed, holding her head in her hand. 

Ryan just smiled behind his mask, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel once more. 

...

Ryan was stood out on the balcony alone for the first time in a long time, Gavin having retreated to his own room earlier in the day. Ryan had knocked on the door when he'd gotten back and when he'd wanted a cigarette, each time producing no response. Ryan blew out some smoke, watching as it dissipated into the cool December air. He turned towards the door as it opened, his heart speeding up with hope as he thought Gavin was joining him finally, only to have it crushed at the sight of Geoff instead. 

Ryan looked down, keeping his eyes away from Geoff's face, trying to see if the other man would just leave him be. Ryan took a drag of his cigarette, his heart plummeting as Geoff lit his own cigarette and stood right next to Ryan. They stood there in silence, tension rising slowly the longer they were there. Finally, Geoff spoke up. "I'm sorry." He said, making Ryan's head shoot up to look at him. "I'm sorry about yesterday, as much as it pains me to say it. I know you care about Gavin, and it's clear that he cares about you too, it's just...I just want him to be safe. I don't want him to come to me one day and tell me that you broke his heart or something worse. But he made me see today that I worry too much, and that I'm going overboard. So I'm sorry." 

Ryan blinked at Geoff, processing the words that were coming out of his mouth. Ryan's own opened and closed for a moment before he was able to respond. "I'm sorry too. I kinda picked up on all of that, and instead of letting it go I was kind of an asshole to you. I was out of line, and I'm sorry." He apologized back, blowing out smoke. 

Geoff nodded, taking a drag on his own. "So we're good?" He asked, looking over as Ryan nodded in agreement. "Good. This doesn't mean I'm still not gonna worry though, so don't push it." Geoff told him, looking back towards the door. "Gavin's moping in his room. I suggest you head in there and check on him, make sure he's not hacking into the Pentagon and a bank simultaneously again just for fun. He does that and each time always tries to break his record on time." 

Ryan chuckled, nodding. "I know, I've seen him do it. I think his current record is 5 minutes and 47 seconds? I think he's currently trying to get it down to 3 minutes so it wouldn't surprise me if that's what he was working on in there." Ryan told him as he threw his cigarette over the edge. He pushed back against the railing, wincing as a twinge popped up in his left shoulder. "I'm glad we got everything worked out." Ryan said, smiling softly as he picked up his mask. 

Geoff just nodded. "Me too. Now go stop him before he gets in trouble again." Geoff dismissed him. 

Ryan nodded as he headed back inside, heading towards Gavin's room to stop him from using his talents to get himself into trouble once more.


	9. Chapter 9

Ryan didn't even bother knocking before entering Gavin's room. He shut the door behind him, taking off his mask as he sat down beside Gavin at his desk. Just as he and Geoff thought, Gavin was breaking into the security network of Fleeca, opening and closing the vault door while on the other screen next to him was what had been explained to him in the past as the inner working of the Pentagon. "So, having fun?" Ryan asked as he turned to look at the security feed of the bank vault, chuckling under his breath at the sight of two guards trying to figure out how to keep the door shut. 

"I've almost got my time down to 3 minutes! I've been working all day, so shut up, I need concentration." Gavin muttered, keeping his eyes on the screen. Gavin groaned when he stopped, checking the timer on his phone. "3 minutes and 39 seconds!" Gavin threw his arms up. "I was 39 seconds off. C'mon, I can do this, one more try." Gavin murmured, but yelped as his chair was pulled away from the desk. 

"C'mon, you're probably about one try from the pentagon noticing you and tracking you down." Ryan told him. "Plus, you've been sitting there for hours. I haven't even seen you all day." 

Gavin let out a sigh, then turned to the computers to back out of what he was doing. After he was done, he stood up, stretching as he turned to Ryan. "Need a light?" Ryan only nodded, standing up from where he was sat. 

Gavin smiled as he grabbed his sweater and a couple lighters, leading Ryan from the room and over to the small balcony. Gavin huddled close to Ryan as they leaned against the railing, making it a little difficult to light their cigarettes. They were silent for a few moments before Gavin spoke up, turning his head up at Ryan. "You really do love me, right? You're not just gonna up and leave on me?" He asked quietly.

Ryan shook his head, pulling Gavin even closer. "No, I'm not." He murmured, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Gavin, you've made me happier than I've been in years. When I first got here, I never thought that I could get any happier than I got that day just knowing that I had a new home and a crew that I could consider family. I was so wrong, because the happiest night of my life was the night I burned half the city to the ground with you." Ryan confessed, kissing Gavin's forehead.

Gavin seemed to accept that, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "Everyone thinks you're the most cold-hearted person they know. Kerry, Ray, definitely Geoff, and so on...it's nice knowing that they're kinda wrong." 

"Kinda?" Ryan asked, faking offense.

Gavin chuckled, smacking his side lightly. "Well you can be cold-hearted! What do you call dismembering someone without even batting an eyelash you donut?" 

Ryan pouted, shaking his head. "That wasn't cold-hearted, that was a gift." He argued, blowing smoke. 

"And it was a lovely gift Rye, but you have to admit you were cold-hearted when it came to the man you dismembered." Gavin countered, throwing his cigarette over the edge. 

Ryan thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I see your point." He hummed, throwing his own cigarette over the railing. 

"Exactly. Now let's get back inside because it is too cold to be out here." Gavin said, taking Ryan's hand to lead him back into the penthouse. 

...

"Alright, so earlier today, a little birdie by the name of Kdin gave me a little bad news guys." Geoff explained as everyone settled in around the coffee table in the living room of the penthouse.   
Apparently while he was watching TV, a breaking story interrupted his program. Now, I know what you're thinking, 'oh, Geoff, who cares about some sinkhole in the road? There are other roads!' Well you can all shut up right now because it's not another sinkhole. Last night, one of our shops was hit."

"Which one?" Jack asked, leaning forward in her seat, a look of concern on her face.

"It was the tattoo parlor across town, the one with the nice guy who let us store equipment there and in return gave me free tattoos and gained us giving him protection. Well, last night we failed on giving him that, because not only did the guys rob him blind and steal the equipment, they shot him where he stood. Fuckin' pricks." He muttered. 

Jack sighed, sitting back and leaning in her seat. "Well, fuck. Do we have any idea who these guys are, where we can find them?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Geoff nodded, looking to Gavin. "Apparently one guy's name is Edgar, and the other one is Reggie. They're small time thieves from what I've heard, but with them so far in on our turf and the fact that they took our shit means that something's going down. They've probably got a gang of mercenaries and I bet they're gonna make a move against us to try and take over, so Gavin I'll need you to get me whatever information you can on them." 

At the mention of Edgar and Reggie, Ryan tensed from where he was sitting next to Gavin. He let out a long, shaky breath. "I can give you all the information you need." He said, his voice dripping with venom. 

Everyone's heads snapped to him, looking surprised. "You can?" Michael asked, looking just as confused as everyone else. 

Ryan nodded. "I used to run with them when we were young, only in our late teens. We had a bit of a falling out and I went off and did my own thing. I'd still see them around from time to time when we were still back in Vice City, but then I moved here. There's a chance they're here for me." He explained. "Also, that mother fucker Reggie still owes me money." 

Geoff nodded, turning back to the crew. "Well, we're gonna set that aside. Gavin, I need you to tell me where they're staying while they're in town. I want to push for an attack on them in two days, so you mother fuckers better get preparing. For now, Jack, I need you to come with me in about an hour. All of the people under our protection have suddenly decided to start showing up downstairs and demanding to see me, so Matt's currently getting them all set up to have a meeting."

"Got it." She nodded in response. 

"Oh! Almost forgot. Gavin, you will be in the field. I'm warning you right now, if you set anything on my person on fire, I will strangle you in your sleep. I don't care how scary your boyfriend is, I'm gonna do it. Other than that, go fucking nuts with the fires. We're sending a message: You're in our city now, so don't fuck with it." Geoff let them know. "Alright, you guys can all head out for now. Gavin, find out where they're staying and we'll take care of their base. Okay, meeting adjourned. We'll meet back here in the morning and then we can take care of these pricks." 

Gavin seemed a little giddy when he stood up, more excited than the rest of them. The rest pretty much scattered, Jack and Geoff heading downstairs to deal with their people and Michael and Ray followed them down, most likely to start cleaning their guns to make sure everything was in order. Ryan decided he'd follow Gavin, figuring he could help him out in any way he could. 

When they reached Gavin's room, Ryan laid down on the bed and set his mask next to him, watching as Gavin took a seat and booted up his computer. "So, how did you meet these guys?" Gavin asked as his computer turned on. 

"Well, we were I think 17 when we met. A couple friends took me to the skate park with them one day while they met their dealer, and I kind of wandered off because that wasn't really my thing, you know? I mean, I'll smoke a bowl every now and then, but they got pills on top of the weed, so. But while I was wandering around, I met Reggie. He seemed nice enough, and much more exciting than any of my current friends. I'd just graduated high school as well, so I didn't have anything to do with my days and I kinda fell in with him and Edgar." Ryan explained. 

Gavin nodded, tilting his head a bit. "Do you have a last name for me?" He asked. Ryan shook his head, realizing he'd never learned their last names.''

"Alright, thanks anyway. There's probably not too many criminals in the Vice City area that go by the names Reggie and Edgar, so I should be good."

Ryan stood up, moving to stand behind Gavin as he worked. He leaned down and wrapped his arms loosely around Gavin's neck, resting his chin on his shoulder. After Gavin had hacked into them, he went through the police records of Vice City, and Ryan pointed when he recognized Reggie's face. "There, that's him." He said, letting his hand fall once more. 

Gavin scrolled down, smiling as he found Edgar's arrest record under Reggie's, but Ryan's as well. "Aww, look at that! You look so young, you were so cute as a teen. How the hell is that possible? Teenagers are supposed to look awkward and gross, but you look like something from a teen magazine!" Gavin cooed, laughing as Ryan smacked his arm lightly. "Alright, alright, I got it." He chuckled, opening up Edgar's and Reggie's files. 

"So, there's really not much here, just some petty theft, drug violations, and a couple armed robberies." 

"There's more, but they're quick, so they didn't get caught. If you read further, you'll see that while they were arrested, neither of them actually got convicted and did the time. It happens when you know people who are in good with dirty cops." Ryan pointed out. 

Gavin nodded, seeing it as he read further. "It looks like they got arrested a few times throughout the last couple years, but from these records they dropped off the Vice City radar about four months ago. I'll check the LSPD files." He said, backing out of their arrest records. He smirked as he brought up Ryan's arrest record, turning to look at him for a moment before continuing. "Aww, look at this...charges for petty theft, breaking and entering, armed robberies...soliciting a prostitute? Ryan, lovely Ryan." He laughed, grabbing for Ryan as he moved away.

"C'mon, I was 18! And it was a dare. I never could back down from a dare." Ryan muttered, moving back over to the bed. Gavin laughed further, turning back to the screen to begin the search through the LSPD records.

After a moment, Gavin shook his head. "There's been no arrests, but they've been chasing someone down for awhile now. From the police statements, they think that these guys they've been chasing are the same as the guys who did the robbery and murder last night. So they've been in town for as long as you've been in the crew it seems, maybe a couple weeks longer." He said, turning to look at Ryan. "Do you know the types of places they like to use as a base? Like an apartment or a warehouse or what not?" Gavin asked. 

"Condemned gas stations. That's where we always were. But I haven't seen them in a few years, and it's been much longer since I've run with them. They could have upgraded. Plus all the gas stations here are open most days of the week unless they've been robbed." 

"Alright, so I'll take the long way, checking street cameras and what not. Maybe I can check them and see where they're headed. It'll be a few hours, so you might wanna head out and clean some guns for us." Gavin told Ryan, turning back to the screen. 

Ryan nodded, picking his mask up as he got up and walked to Gavin. He leaned down, grabbing his chin to tilt his head up for a kiss. Ryan let the kiss deepen for a moment before he pulled away, grinning as he winked at a pouting Gavin. "Have fun, dear." He sing-sung, headed out to make his way downstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Ryan was cleaning his guns with Michael and Ray when Geoff came down, causing him to pause and look up. "What's up?" He asked, setting the gun down as Ray and Michael did the same. 

"I called the RT crew and the Funhaus guys. Ryan, if you don't know, they're our sister crews, Funhaus based in San Andreas while the Roosters are in Liberty City. Right now, I've got the B and C-teams out trying to keep a lid on the situation with our people and checking out the newest hit from Edgar and Reggie, which happened an hour ago. Since the people who run the shop closed up to meet me here, no one was hurt, but we've lost some product and they lost money and their shop is pretty ruined." Geoff explained, taking a seat.

"So, what does that mean?" Ray asked, leaning back in his seat. 

"Well, Gavin found their base and he's having Jeremy infiltrate it to bug it, since he's quick and usually invisible, and it looks like Reggie and Edgar have formed their own little gang, and they're trying to take over. They're not satisfied with being a lower-level gang like the Lost and the Vagos, so they're trying to hit us and make us look bad while also gaining recognition. My point is, this is getting bigger and bigger by the moment, and just so we can be safe, I called Burnie and Kovic. Burnie's sending us Barbara to help with the hacking so we can have Gavin on the field, and Joel said he'd be able to send us Adam Ellis. I think they're giving us Jon as well, so that'll help. Kovic, Lawrence, and James are all coming as well. Bruce might come as well." Geoff paused for a moment, glancing over at Ryan for a moment before continuing. "I also made a call overseas before the meeting, figuring we'd need another guy anyway. Dan's coming to town." 

Michael and Ray let out a whoop when they heard Dan's name, grinning at each other. "Dan the Man! Hell fucking yeah." Michael said, fist pumping. "How long are they gonna be here?" He asked, still smiling. 

"Until this is all over." Geoff replied, standing up. "Dan should be boarding his flight right now, and it's...3pm, so he'll be here around 2am tonight. The others won't be here until tomorrow. Alright, well, I've got more shit to do. I told the guy who's store had been hit that I'd reimburse him for the damages and everything he lost. It's only fair since it's our fault, so I have to meet with him and a couple other assholes to figure out how much that'll be. Have fun cleaning your guns!" Geoff waved as he parted, heading back out. 

Ray picked his gun back up, picking up where he'd left off in the cleaning. "Fucking Dan the Man, it's gonna be great. And Kovic! It's gonna be fucking awesome. Can't wait to see Jon though, miss that asshole." 

"Yeah, it's gonna be great." Michael agreed. The whole ordeal left Ryan frowning, wishing he'd looked up more on the crew before he'd joined. Guess he'd find out soon enough, though.

...

Ryan spent the time after the guns were cleaned and put back away watching Michael and Ray playing Halo on the TV from the couch. After the first couple hours Gavin had come out from his room, choosing to curl up in Ryan's lap instead of taking his own seat on the couch. After awhile Michael had given Gavin the controller, opting instead to head out to see Lindsay as she returned. So when the elevator doors opened around 2am, Gavin was comfortably sat in Ryan's lap as he played the game with Ray. 

Ray paused the game as he heard the doors open, making Gavin groan and lean further into the hand Ryan was running through his hair. "Hey, Dan!" Ray greeted as he turned in his seat, causing Gavin's head to snap up and turn to the elevator. 

Ryan nearly fell off the couch as Gavin shot up, climbing over the back with a squawk of excitement. Once his feet were on the ground, he ran full speed and jumped into the arms of a man with dark hair and a beard. Ryan sat there and watched in confusion as Gavin wrapped his legs and arms around Dan, turning to Ray for a moment in hopes of an explanation. 

"B! How have you been? What've you been up to?" Gavin asked as he finally released his grasp on the man. 

"I've been alright, and I haven't done too much. I've been helping out Ben with some small-time drug pedaling over in England, but as soon as I heard you guys needed me I jumped at the chance. Everything's so much more exciting here." Dan explained, looking behind Gavin to the couch. "Hey Ray, how ya been?" He asked, smiling as Ray gave a thumbs up. His eyes turned to Ryan, and Ryan looked away when he saw Dan stiffen in recognition. "So, you didn't tell me anything about that." 

"Oh, are you talking about Rye? Yeah, he's a part of the crew now, has been for a few months. He's great, you'll like him." Gavin hummed, grabbing one of Dan's bags. "C'mon, you can stay in my room while you're here." He said, leading the man from the room. 

"That's Dan, he's pretty cool." Ray told Ryan, handing him the controller Gavin had abandoning. Ryan picked it up, jumping in as Ray started the game. 

"So, that was weird." Ryan commented, referring to the situation with Dan and Gavin.

Ray shook his head beside him. "Nah, it's pretty normal. They've known each other for years, really. Been best friends since they were kids. Gavin left for America though and started working for Geoff, while when Dan came to America a few years later, he went to Liberty City and started working with the Rooster Teeth guys. They don't see each other often, so it leads to greetings like that. Also, be prepared to see them in matching outfits. God, those two are fucking dweebs." Ray explained. 

They spent another hour playing Halo before Ryan finally got up to head to his room, leaving Ray on his own. When he opened his door, he found Gavin sitting on his bed, playing a game on his phone. "Need a light?" Ryan asked as he shut the door and put his mask on the entertainment center, smiling wide as Gavin looked up at him. 

"Yes please. Haven't had one all damn day." Gavin hummed, shoving his phone into his pocket before standing up to follow Ryan out to the balcony. "I got Dan all settled up in my room. It's better that way, since now he doesn't have to go down all those floors just to get to his room. Plus, I figured it would be fine since I spend most nights in this room." 

Ryan nodded, handing him a cigarette. "I'm not complaining." Ryan told him, waiting for Gavin to pull out his cigarette before leaning in to light his with the same flame. 

Gavin huddled up against Ryan, leaning his head on his shoulder, looking out over the city. "Tomorrow when you see him, he might threaten you. Don't be alarmed and don't take it too seriously." Gavin warned him, causing Ryan to let out a sigh. 

"What did you tell him?" He asked. 

Gavin took a drag from his cigarette before answering. "Well, when he asked where I would sleep, I said I would sleep in your room like I have been. He got confused and a little scared, but when I mentioned to him that you and I were together, he just nodded and said he'd have to give you his best brotherly talk." 

Ryan just nodded, blowing out smoke. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind." He said. "And just so you know, yes, I will be civil to him. Even if I don't like him, but everyone says I will so we won't have to worry about that." 

"Good." Gavin smiled, leaning up to give Ryan a kiss. "I'm glad." 

"I'm glad you're glad." Ryan hummed, kissing him again. 

They stood outside until their cigarettes were finished, just talking about this and that. When they headed back in, Gavin let out a yawn, moving to the closet to change into a pair of Ryan's pajama pants. Ryan moved to the bathroom himself, opting to remove his make up before he headed to bed. Once he'd reemerged a few minutes later with a clean face, he smiled as he saw Gavin sprawled out on the bed playing a game. "That's a great look for you. Very hot." He chuckled, running a finger over Gavin's shrirtless torso. 

Gavin rolled his eyes, putting his phone on the bed and turning off the light. "Let's just head to sleep." Gavin yawned, curling up next to Ryan. 

"Good idea." Ryan yawned back, pulling Gavin in for a kiss before he settled in for sleep. "Goodnight, Gav." 

"Goodnigh, Rye." Gavin muttered back, and soon enough they'd both fallen asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning-or, afternoon, as it turned out to be once Gavin and Ryan finally emerged from Ryan's room (and if anyone noticed the new string of hickeys peeking out from the top of Gavin and his shirts, no one said anything just yet), the penthouse was bustling with people arriving and settling in. Ryan quickly headed for the kitchen past everyone in the living room, trying to get past all the commotion for a cup of coffee or a diet coke. 

Once he got to the kitchen, he took a deep breath, making a break for the fridge. He pulled out a diet coke, popping the tab before taking a seat at the table, pulling out his phone. He looked up a minute later as Jack walked in, taking a seat with her coffee. "Hey Ryan. Hiding out?" She chuckled, and before he could protest she nodded. "Yeah, I am too. Love those guys, but I can only take so much before I need a break." She hummed. 

Ryan nodded in understanding, taking a drink. "Yeah, well, it makes it worse for me not knowing any of them, so all the noise and everything is getting on my nerves a bit." 

"Yeah. So you got up late." She said, leaning back. 

"Got to bed late." He said, narrowing his eyes. 

"Oh I can only imagine why." She said as she looked away, itching the bottom of her neck with a smirk. 

Ryan smirked, itching his own collarbone just to pull back his shirt to expose more marks of his own. "Actually that was this morning." He replied.

Jack laughed, grinning over at him. "Well, I bet Dan loved hearing that. Geoff and Griffon soundproofed their room years ago, but poor Dan's in Gavin's room." She tsked as she picked up her coffee for a drink, smiling as Ryan began laughing. 

"Well, we'll know if Dan's handing out weird looks to me and Gavin." Ryan hummed. 

"That is true." She snickered, turning to look as the door opened. 

When Dan appeared in the doorway, both Ryan and Jack lost it, setting down their drinks so they wouldn't spill them laughing. Ryan glanced up to see Dan frowning, looking between the two. "Wot? Do I got something on me?" He asked, looking himself over, which only caused Ryan to laugh even harder. Ryan watched as Jack wiped some tears from her eyes as she calmed down, looking over at Ryan as he calmed down as well. In a moment they both broke down again, and she waved a hand at Dan as she placed her head in the other one. Ryan looked up to see Dan frowning more, crossing his arms. "Okay, well, I'm gonna leave now. Have fun with...whatever you're doing." Dan said awkwardly, walking out of the room. 

Once they'd both calmed down and were breathing correctly, they sat back, grinning. "That was perfect timing." Ryan chuckled, picking up his diet coke. 

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Jack said, shaking her head. "Though we'll have to test the weird look theory when we're not laughing uncontrollably. Though, it is Dan and Gavin, he's more likely to not care and then make fun of him later." 

Ryan shook his head. "Nah, I say weird looks. It's me as well, so he'll probably give us all kinds of weird looks." 

"Wanna make a bet?" Jack grinning slyly, leaning forward. "If I win and we hear Dan making fun of Gavin with no weird, you have to go on a murder break. " Jack said smugly. 

Ryan thought about it for a moment, then grinned. "If I win, I want you trying to recreate my face paint on yourself and two other people. On video." 

Jack let out a low whistle, looking over the paint on his face currently. "We all know I can't draw for shit, let alone draw on faces...but deal. Because I know I'm gonna win. And just to make it interesting, and since you and I both know we still have big cuts left from our heist...how about we add, oh, five thousand dollars on top of it?" She said, holding out her hand to shake. 

"You got it." Ryan smiled, taking her hand. 

They sat and talked for another hour, Jack introducing the few people to Ryan as they walked into the kitchen. Barbara joined them after awhile, and they were all sitting around the table when Gavin came in with Dan trailing behind him, a red face and a hand covering the hickeys on his neck. Ryan's faced paled, and he looked at a smirking Jack across the table. "Dan, shut up, I said I was sorry!" Gavin squeaked, heading for the fridge for a Red Bull. Jack, covered her mouth as Dan followed up closely. 

"All I'm saying is you're real rubbish at hiding it, though to be fair, you didn't seem to want to hide anything this morning--" 

Ryan slammed his fist down on the table, causing Barbara, Dan, and Gavin to jump. "Goddammit!" He cried out, slumping back in his chair as Jack threw a fist in the air. 

"And I win! Pay the fuck up, Haywood, pay, the, fuck, up!" 

Barbara turns to Gavin and Dan, pointing at Ryan and Jack. "Did you know anything about this?" 

"Not a damn clue." Dan says, staring as Ryan pulls out his wallet, handing over everything in there.

"Count it out, whatever's not there I'll make sure to have to you by the end of the day." Ryan grumbled to an ecstatic Jack. 

"Wot? Wot just happened?" Gavin looked between the two, confused. 

Jack grinned up at him, setting the cash down. "Ryan here just lost a bet, he's paying up." She hummed, explaining no further.

"It's not fair! You know them better than me!" Ryan complained, throwing his arms up. 

"Doesn't matter, you still lost, fair and square! Plus you only owe me a thousand and six. Who the fuck carries that much cash in their wallet, by the way!?"

"Someone who's good at not getting mugged." Ryan replied, getting up to get another diet coke. 

Barbara shook her head, looking between the two. "Let me guess; you guys made a bet involving Dan and Gav?" She asked, grinning as Jack nodded. "Knew it!" She said, standing up herself. "Alright, well I have a phone call to make, have fun!" She quickly left the room after that, leaving a laughing Dan and a squeaking Gavin. 

"You bet on us!?" Gavin asked, making Dan laugh harder. 

"Is that why you were laughing so hard when I walked in earlier?" Dan asked, grinning over at Jack as she began laughing as well. 

Ryan just pulled out his diet coke, grumbling as he popped the top. "I fucking lost five thousand." He muttered, leaning into Gavin as he took a drink from his can. 

"Five thousand!?" Dan asked, laughing even harder. "What was the bet?" He asked curiously. 

Ryan looked to the floor, ignoring Dan as he took a drink. "Well, think about what you were talking about when you walked in and take a guess." Jack hummed, standing up and heading out of the room. "Thanks for the money, Ryan!" She said as she left, leaving Dan laughing even harder. 

"Wow, that's just great." Dan said, shaking his head. 

Gavin buried his face into Ryan's shoulder, letting out a long groan. "Ryan, I hate you." He grumbled. 

"No you don't." Ryan said, wrapping an arm around Gavin. 

"You're right." Gavin sighed, leaning up to kiss Ryan's cheek, grinning. "Alright, well, sorry to cut this short, but I came in for a Red Bull and Geoff wanted to talk to me about something, so I should probably go find him before he comes looking for me. I'll catch you guys later." Gavin waved as he left, popping the tab on his Red Bull. 

When the room was empty of everyone but Ryan and Dan, they sat there awkwardly for a moment, Ryan drinking his diet coke and Dan twiddling his thumbs. Finally, Dan stood up straight, looking over at Ryan. "So, I have something to say." Dan said, taking a step closer. 

Ryan nodded, unfazed. "Okay." 

Dan brought up a finger, pointing at Ryan. "Now, I know you're the Vagabond and all, and I don't care. I'm gonna tell you right now; if Gavin gets hurt, in any way while he's with you, you're gonna pay. He's the only family I got, and I don't want anything to happen to him, so you better use those skills of yours to make sure that he's safe. If I find out that something's happened and you did nothing to stop it, I will find you, and I will do my damned best to hurt you back just as much." Dan told him, then reached over and opened the fridge, grabbing out a coke of his own. "Well, anyway, I think Michael said he wanted me to help him with something, so I should go find out where that is. I'll see you later, yeah?" Dan told Ryan with a smile, making his way out of the room. 

Ryan just smiled to himself, taking a drink from his pop.


	12. Chapter 12

It took a couple days for everything to get settled in and prepared, but soon enough came the day of the siege. Barbara stayed back with Gavin's set up at base, having hacked into the security cameras that were set up in the warehouse where Edgar and Reggie were based with Gavin earlier. They found out about them when Jeremy, coming back from bugging the place, had pointed them out. The B-team was still out protecting some of Geoff's underlings, thankful that so far there hadn't been any more break-ins. 

Gavin, Ryan, Dan, and Ray (Team Bravo) were all sitting in one car a few blocks away. Michael, Adam Kovic, James, and Geoff (Team Alpha) were in another car a little closer, around the corner of the warehouse, while Jack, Lawrence, Jon, and Adam Ellis were waiting in a chopper on the roof of a parking garage less than a minute from the warehouse, prepared to go at a moment's notice if the others needed them, either for back up or extraction. The sun had set not long ago, and now they were all waiting on their chance to move ahead. 

Ryan looked out the open window, of the car, one hand tangled with Gavin's as the other one held a cigarette. He let out a bored sigh, leaning his head back. "How long does this take?" He asked. 

"Sieges are usually more intense and more risky, so everything has to be planned perfectly right down to the minute." Gavin replied, taking a drag of his own cigarette. "We've only been in one siege before, and that was when some rich bastard thought he could come in and steal our coke for his own drug-pedaling ring." 

"Yeah, but that one wasn't anything like this one. That guy was just stealing drugs, this guy's taking our equipment, pushing in on our land, and hurting our people." Ray piped up from the back, not even looking up from his DS. "Speaking of drugs, anyone mind if I smoke a joint? I didn't get a rip of the bong before we left, so I packed one." 

"Only if you don't share." Dan smiled from beside him. 

Ryan thought about it, shaking his head. "It's not like it's any of our cars. Go for it." He replied, giving Gavin's hand a squeeze. 

Ray lit up the joint, taking a hit and passing it over to Dan. After Dan's turn, he offered it to Gavin, who shrugged, taking his hand from Ryan to grab it. Gavin offered it to Ryan as well, but Ryan just shook his head, wanting his mind completely clear for this. 

One shared joint and a second cigarette later, Barbara came over the headset. "Okay guys, I've figured out a pattern in the cameras and the guards, which is why it took so long. Okay, I need Team Alpha to start heading that way, they're going in first. Make sure you all have knives and silenced guns, we're going for stealth before chaos!" 

"Alright, looks like we don't have that long of a wait, everyone start getting your shit together." Ryan told them as he put his mask on, climbing out of the driver's side as he popped the trunk. 

Gavin, Dan, and Ray took a minute to put away their phones and DS before getting out themselves. Gavin leaned into the front, pulling out two 2-quart cans, one gasoline and the other kerosene. "Gav, why the hell do you have two different types of flammable liquids?" Dan asked, grabbing two SMGs from the back as Gavin struggled with hooking them to his belt. "Also, that's a bit dangerous to carry them there." 

"Shut up, you nob. And, for your information, one is combustible and the other is flammable, so one burns hotter than the other. I didn't know how big I wanted to go, so I brought both." He defended, moving to the trunk to grab his stash of golden guns. 

Ray picked up his sniper from the case he pulled out of the trunk, then sighed and put it away. "I forgot, I'm not on the stealth team. I'm gonna be working in close quarters." He muttered, returning it and replacing it with a simple pink SMG. 

Everyone grabbed extra ammo and filled their pockets, turning as Ryan held up a rocket launcher. "Think we'll need this?" Ryan joked, giggling. 

"Ryan, what the fuck. Where did you even get that?" Ray asked, staring.

"It was in the back! I don't know who packed it, but I like it. I'm keeping it." Ryan hummed. 

Gavin looked Ryan up and down, biting his lip. "Have to say, it's a great look for you." He yelped as Dan smacked him over the back of the head lightly. 

"Gav, keep it in your pants, we're on a mission here." Dan pointed out, shutting the back of the car as Ryan strapped the rocket launcher to his back. 

Soon their earpieces crackled, meaning it was their turn for instructions. "Sorry for turning you guys off of the channel for a bit there, but Team Alpha needed concentration. Team Bravo is up next, so start making your way down. If I don't see you there within five minutes we're gonna have problems, so hurry the fuck up." Barbara told them over the line, making the guys snap into action. 

"Stick to the plan. We go in, kill as many guys as we can, and block off exits. Gavin, no setting fire to ANYTHING unless we're clear of it, got it?" Ray said as they all headed up towards the warehouse. 

As soon as one camera came into view, Ryan slowed down a bit, watching as all the guys looked up and waved, even chuckling for a moment as Ray flipped them off. As soon as he stepped into view, he turned his head, giving the camera a cold stare as he walked by, knowing that Edgar and Reggie were watching as well. After a moment, he jogged a bit to catch up to the others walking ahead of him. 

"Nice one, guys." Barbara chuckled over the camera. "Alright, green door on the left, go to it. That's your way in." 

Once they were in the warehouse, they split up a bit, heading off into the stacks of broken crates and smushed cardboard boxes. Ryan had his gun at the ready, keeping his eyes peeled for anyone he didn't recognize. Suddenly, a man came around the corner, lifting his gun up and pointing it at Ryan. Ryan's own gun shot up and he pulled the trigger, hitting the guy in the leg and kicking his gun away before he even had a chance to shoot. Ryan paused as he heard Gavin screeching and what sounded something driving towards him. He let out a sigh, peeking around the corner of the stack to find Gavin driving a forklift around the warehouse, hitting the occasional stunned man as they stopped in his way. 

"Dammit, Gavin!" Ryan heard Michael scream. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? You better be fucking careful with that thing! If you kill me with that, I'm gonna come back and haunt your ass!" 

"Hey, uh, Ryan? Did I just see you maim a man? We're here for kills, asshole." Geoff said, heading away from where Ryan was. 

Ryan sighed as he heard Jack laughing over the line. "I'm on a murder break! I can't kill him." He said, kicking the man in the side as he yelled out in pain. 

"Why the fuck are you on a murder break!?" Geoff yelled, and Ryan heard a gunshot in the distance. 

Jack laughed even harder, but caught her breath for a moment to speak. "It was part of our bet, I'm sorry Geoff." 

Geoff cried out in anger, yelling over the headset. "Ryan, this is me declaring your murder break over. Kill the man! If anything put him out of his misery, I can hear his pathetic screams over Gavin and Michael." 

Ryan sighed and shot the man in the head, turning around and heading the opposite way of the forklifts, hearing the others over his headset. "James, just because Gavin's in a forklift doesn't mean you need to be in one too!" Adam yelled and Ryan heard a few gunshots following it. 

"Adam, Adam, look at how fun this is! This is a death MACHINE! Look at how many people Gavin and I are killing!" 

Ryan just shook his head, ignoring them as he made his way up a flight of stairs. He looked over the stacks as he headed up, seeing two forklifts driving in and out of stacks covered in blood while Geoff, Adam, and Michael ran on different paths to avoid them. He also saw Ray heading up an opposite staircase, pulling his gun on the men who were shooting at the others from above.

Once Ryan reached the catwalk the stairs lead to, he surveyed the ground before looking for the office that the two men from his past were cowering in. He smiled as he saw it, just on the other side of the catwalk he was on, and started jogging to it. Once he reached the door, he kicked it in easily and thanked the years of rust that helped him do so. Ryan pulled up both of his guns, pointing them at Reggie and Edgar as they turned towards the door. 

Ryan's blood ran even hotter as he saw Reggie grin at him, smiling sweetly. "Hello, James."


	13. Chapter 13

Ryan kept his guns up at he looked between the two, his fingers near the triggers to kept prepared to kill. "You know, you've done a lot of stupid shit over the years, but I think this is as bad as it gets." Ryan told them lowly, tuning out the chatter and loud noises from his earpiece. 

Edgar rolled his eyes, turning his eyes to look at Reggie. "C'mon James, it got your attention, didn't it?" 

"You killed a man under our protection, stole our shit, and you're trespassing on turf that doesn't belong to you. Turf that does indeed belong to Geoff Ramsey, the kingpin who pretty much runs this city now. If you were just trying to get my attention, literally anything else could have worked." He spat out, furious.

Reggie laughed softly, looking away. "Alright, so we were trying to build a little something, but part of it was to get your attention. Didn't know you ran with this lot though. Interesting for you, you've been a lone wolf for so long." He hummed.

Ryan shook his head, glaring at Reggie. "Get to the point. You have my attention now." Ryan said, gesturing to himself before turning the guns back on the two men in front of him.

"We want you to join us again." Edgar spoke up from his seat, grinning slyly. "I mean, you always end up coming back to us anyway, and we miss having you run with us, we've missed it since the day you left. C'mon, we could do so much, you know it." 

"We're just speeding up the inevitable. We've been tiptoeing around it for years, but every time you come back you leave again too quickly." Reggie said as he stood up, taking a few steps towards Ryan, leaning in close. "And I have so much to offer you myself, just like every time I've seen you over the years." Reggie purred, smiling as he looked into Ryan's eyes. Ryan shoved Reggie away just as he heard Gavin yell over the earpiece. 

"Did that asshole just flirt with you, Rye!? Geoff, if we end up killing these bastards, I call dibs on whoever was the one who just tried flirting with Ryan. In fact, I might just kill him anyway!" 

Ryan smirked behind his mask for a moment as he heard Gavin's words, but soon dropped it. "I'm not interested." He said gruffly, sending an icy look to Reggie. "In any of it. Not anymore. I've got a new family now, and right now you're a threat to them. Either we kill you on top of killing all of your men here, or you let us take our stuff, take some of your shit and some money for our troubles, and head back to Vice City where you came from. If you choose option two and decide not to leave, I will personally hunt you down myself and kill you on the spot." 

All of a sudden a crash was heard outside the office, and Ryan took a step towards the doorway to look down, finding a livid Gavin at the bottom of the stairs. "Where is that bitch-bastard, Rye!?" He demanded loudly, pulling out a gun as he climbed up. 

"Gavin, Gavin! We're trying to work out a deal, calm down!" Ryan said, turning back to Reggie and Edgar, both of whom were looking behind Ryan at the angry Brit coming their way. 

"Who is that?" Edgar asked, pulling his gun from his holster and pointing it at Gavin. Both of Ryan's guns trained on Edgar, his blood suddenly boiling. 

"Don't you fucking touch him Edgar, put that thing away." Ryan told him calmly, ignoring the look Reggie was giving him. 

Gavin pushed past Ryan as he got to the door, pointing his gun between the two of them. "Which one was it!?" Gavin demanded, finally training his gun on Reggie. "Fucking back off, alright?" Gavin growled, shoving his gun against the side of Reggie's head before Ryan quickly holstered one gun and pulled him away. 

"Gavin, calm the fuck down." Ryan grunted, putting his other gun down. "We're making a deal." 

Reggie stood up suddenly, causing Ryan to point his gun at him once more. Reggie looked between the two of him, curiosity filling his eyes. "We'll be leaving. We're taking the deal." He said, causing Edgar's head to look up at him in surprise. "We'll take whatever of our men are still alive and we'll leave town." 

"You're goddamn right you're leaving town." Gavin spat out, fuming. "And you better pay Ryan every cent of that money you owe him before you leave." 

"Ryan?" Reggie frowned, looking back at Ryan. "I like James better. Rolls off the tongue in bed." Reggie grinned, winking at Ryan. 

Before Gavin could move any further, Ryan reached out and grabbed the arm holding Gavin's gaudy, golden pistol, twisting it behind his back just enough to keep him in place. Ryan ignored the look of realization and interest in Reggie's eyes, knowing they only meant trouble. "Glad we could come to an arrangement." He said as Geoff arrived outside of the office door, grabbing Gavin and shoving him from the room. "There you are, Geoff. These two have agreed to take what men are left alive and skip town. I think you'd like to work out the details, so I'll leave you to it." Ryan told Geoff as he grabbed Gavin from him, leading him down the stairs and towards the door of the warehouse.

As soon as they walked out of the door, Gavin pulled out his earpiece and Ryan did the same. "Why didn't you let me kill him! You know for a fact that he'll be back!" Gavin asked, crossing his arms as he turned to Ryan. 

"Because that wasn't the reason you were trying to kill him, Gavin! You were trying to kill him over some comments he made!" Ryan argued. 

Gavin shook his head, glaring up at Ryan. "Ryan, have you slept with him before? Is that why he made those comments?" Gavin asked, throwing Ryan for a loop. He opened and closed his mouth before nodding. Gavin's eyes widened, and he took steps towards the warehouse as if to run back in. Ryan reached his arm out, catching him around the waist and pulling him close. "Ryan, let go of me! I need to go kill him!" Gavin said, struggling in Ryan's grip. 

Ryan tore off his mask, leaning down and pressing a harsh kiss to Gavin's lips. After a moment Gavin stopped squirming, wrapping his arms around Ryan's neck. When they pulled back for air, Ryan leaned his forehead against Gavin's. "Gav, stop feeling so threatened. I'm sick of him, and I haven't even seen him in years. He's a terrible person any way. I have no interest in him any more, none whatsoever." He murmured. "I'm interested in the man standing right in front of me." 

Gavin smiled, leaning in and kissing Ryan again. "Fine. But if he breaks the deal, you're taking me with you when you hunt them down. I want the pleasure of killing him." 

Ryan chuckled, pulling away. "Got it." He agreed, then laughed a bit as he saw Gavin's face. "Nice make up." He hummed, putting his mask back on. 

"Wait, wot!?" Gavin asked, pulling down his sleeve and swiping at his face, trying to get the face paint off. "Is it gone?" He asked, and Ryan grinned as he saw bits of red smeared on Gavin's forehead and nose, while the black and white blended into small amounts of gray near Gavin's mouth. 

"It's good enough. We need to head inside again, gotta help with clean up and rounding all the breathers up." Ryan said, putting his earpiece back in. "Alright guys, what's it like on the floor?" Ryan asked as he entered the warehouse. 

"Well, it's covered in blood for one, and there's only a few people still alive. We've stopped shooting since Geoff gave the signal, and we're just waiting on the chopper team to get here." Adam said over the comm line. 

"Guys! I found a few stacks of large barrels that say flammable on them!" They heard Dan say, and Gavin took off running. 

"Where!? Show me! James, bring the forklift, I'm gonna need it and those barrels once the building is clear of people who are alive." Gavin cried out excitedly. 

Ryan just smiled after him behind his mask, walking through the stacks calmly. He ran into Michael and Ray on his way to the others, looking at the six people who were walking slowly in front of them. "Are these the men you didn't kill?" Ryan asked, and Michael and Ray nodded. Ryan unholstered his gun and shot them all point blank, leaving Michael and Ray staring at him in surprise. "Trust me, they would have been dead anyway. Edgar wouldn't allow people who obviously cowered and hid through a fight, much less weak ones who probably don't know hand-to-hand combat, stick around." Ryan told them as they left the building. 

Gavin was the last one out, having used the barrels to cover most of the floor in chemicals once all the equipment, money, and product were cleared from the building and loaded into the chopper. "And here I thought I would need to try to start a fire using just these two cans, but now I can save them." Gavin said, pointing to the cans on his belt. "Alright, I suggest the chopper leave and everyone clear away from the building, back towards the street across the giant parking lot." Gavin, turning and starting to walk that way as the chopper team headed out. Once every one was near the street, Gavin turned to Geoff, who was standing between and slightly behind Reggie and Edgar. "You know, I probably should have asked before I set it up this way, but I think Ryan needs to do the honors." He said, jerking his head pointedly towards the rocket launcher strapped to Ryan's back. 

Geoff frowned as he saw it, but nodded. "Where the hell did you even find that?" Geoff asked, not having noticed it before. 

"Found it in the trunk of the car we took. I'm guessing the previous owner of the car is going to be missing this, since when no one owned up to bringing it along I decided that it's mine now." Ryan told Geoff, pulling the rocket launcher out. "Everyone, stand back." Ryan warned, waiting until everyone had moved several feet away from him. He fired off a shot into one of the windows on the first floor, laughing as the rocket went off and the building exploded into flames. 

"Alright, alright, calm down now." Geoff said, opening his phone. "Okay, Jeremy and Matt are going to be here any minute to pick up these assholes and escort them from the city." He told them all. 

"Does that mean we can leave?" Ray asked, looking excitedly up at Geoff next to Michael. Geoff looked between the two, and then over to where Gavin was staring at Ryan as he strapped the rocket launcher onto his back once more. "Go for it. The rest of us have everything under control here." He said, looking between Kovic, Dan, and James. "Right?" He said, and the others nodded from where they were standing, guarding Reggie and Edgar from any way of running off before Matt and Jeremy got there. 

Ray and Michael high-fived, and as soon as Ryan heard the news, he grabbed Gavin's arm and nodded, walking quickly towards the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to drag this out longer, like have it so they got away, but I was like "meh, nah." so there's that. will they come back later though to terrorize the crew again though!? 
> 
> (....probably, Edgar and Reggie are some shifty mother fuckers who are crazy as hell.)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all smut and no plot, so if you wanna skip it, go for it. If not, enjoy the sex.
> 
>  
> 
> (Bonus note: This is the first time I've written smut in awhile, so if it seems a little awkward, woops, sorry)

The moment Ryan and Gavin walked through the elevator doors to the penthouse, they immediately dropped their guns in the living room and headed for their bedroom, knowing Michael and Ray would take care of their guns when they noticed them. Gavin opened the door and rushed into the room, only to turn back around and kick the door closed, slamming Ryan up against it and pulling his mask off. "I thought you looked good just wearing the rocket launcher, but it turns out you're even hotter when you use it." Gavin purred, causing heat to pool in Ryan's stomach as his jeans tightened. 

Ryan tugged Gavin closer, gripping his hips as he leaned down to nip at Gavin's neck. "If that's the case, I'll have to bring it with me next time we go out for a night on the town." Ryan murmured, sucking a mark into Gavin's neck behind his ear as he pushed him backwards towards the bed. Ryan's hands moved up to unbutton Gavin's shirt as the younger's knees hit the bed, moving to lay down under Ryan. 

Gavin brought up his own hands to unzip Ryan's jacket, shoving it off his shoulders and down his arms until Ryan finally pulled away, letting it fall from his arms. He pulled off his t-shirt as well before he leaned back down, shoving his lips against Gavin's as he scrambled to unbutton his shirt. After a moment he growled, grabbing both sides of Gavin's shirt and ripping it apart, ignoring the buttons flying off and onto the bed and floor. He sat up, pulling Gavin with him as he shoved the shirt off of his shoulders, grinning down at the pout on Gavin's face. "Don't give me that look, you're the one who decided to let me try to unbutton it. I'll buy you a new one, that one was ruined anyway." He said, pointing to the smudged face paint on the shirt. 

Gavin rolled his eyes, moving his hands down Ryan's chest to his belt. "You better buy me a new one, that was my favorite shirt." Gavin grumbled, undoing the belt buckle under his fingers as Ryan kissed down his neck. "Fuck, Ryan." Gavin murmured, tilting his head as he pulled the belt from its loops and throwing it away before moving his hands to grab Ryan's shoulders, closing his eyes as Ryan started kissing further and further down his torso. 

Ryan looked up at Gavin's face as he traveled further down, nipping and licking Gavin's hip as he began undoing his pants, pulling them down his thighs before he sat up again. He helped Gavin out of his pants completely before shucking off his own, moving up to kiss Gavin once more as he leaned over to the side table, reaching and reached in for the tube of lube he'd begun storing in the top drawer. He threw it on the bed, moving his fingers down to hook into the waistband of Gavin's satin boxer-briefs, waiting until the man let out a small whine and a breathy 'please' before he pulled them down and off. Ryan settled between Gavin's legs as he dragged his lips down his body once more, skipping over his erection and moving to mouth and nip at Gavin's thighs. 

Ryan smirked as Gavin let out a breathy moan, sucking a mark into the man's thigh before kissing his way back up. He looked up as he pressed a kiss to the tip of Gavin's cock, reveling in the little gasp he let out at the contact. He closed his eyes as he wrapped a hand around Gavin's base, wrapping his lips around the rest of the base and taking as much of the other as he could. Gavin let out a moan, rocking his hips lightly as Ryan bobbed his head up and down, licking and sucking. After a few minutes, Ryan pulled off and reached for the tube laying on the bed, ignoring the disappointed whine Gavin let out. 

He popped the cap on the tube, spreading some of the lube over his hand before moving it down between Gavin's legs. Ryan moved up, kissing Gavin as he slid in a finger, nipping at his lips as he let out a moan. "Look so good like this, Gav." Ryan murmured against Gavin's lips, licking his way into his mouth as he moved his finger in and out before adding another one. 

Gavin arched his back, letting out another moan. "Rye, don't stop." He whimpered, and Ryan let out a moan of his own as Gavin bit down on his neck harshly, sucking a mark of his own under his jaw. 

After three fingers, Gavin finally wrapped his hands around Ryan's wrist, pulling back to look him in the eye. "Rye, please. I need more." He panted, moving his hips onto the hand. Ryan nodded, pulling out his fingers and wiping them on the bed before pulling away, sliding his own boxers down and over his thighs, kicking them off impatiently. He quickly leaned over again, grabbing a condom out of the side table and ripping it open, sliding it down onto his cock. 

Ryan looked up to see Gavin with the tube in his hands, popping the cap once more and squeezing some out onto Ryan's cock as he moved between Gavin's legs again. Ryan groaned deep in his chest as Gavin pumped him a few times, spreading out the lube. He leaned down over the other man, letting himself be guiding between his legs, moaning as he slowly slid inside. "Fuck, Gavin." Ryan panted, pausing once he'd bottomed out to give them both time to adjust. 

After a few moments of them sitting there, Ryan felt hands grip the backs of his thighs, urging him to move. He quickly obliged, gripping Gavin's hips tightly as he began thrusting in and out of him with slight force. Gavin gasped, bringing his own hands up to scramble at Ryan's back for any purchase he could get. "Bloody hell, Rye." Gavin moaned, shoving his hips up in time with Ryan's thrusts. "Harder." 

Ryan just nodded, making his thrusts faster and harder as he pulled Gavin into each one. He leaned down, slotting their lips together in a messy kiss, moaning into Gavin's mouth. "So good, feel so good." He whimpered, wrapping an arm around Gavin's back to hold him close. 

They stayed like that for awhile, Ryan thrusting fast and hard into Gavin while they held each other close, panting into each other's mouths. Gavin's back arched suddenly, raking his nails down Ryan's back. "Right there! Don't stop." He gasped, and Ryan tried to keep the angle as best as he could, moving a hand down to wrap around Gavin's cock to pump him in time with the thrusts. "G-gonna cum." Gavin stammered, digging his nails in hard enough Ryan was sure they were going to draw blood. Gavin cried out, trying to muffle it into Ryan's neck as he came, his hips jerking. 

"Fuck, Gavin!" Ryan groaned as he came shortly after Gavin, thrusting through their orgasms. He collapsed onto the man under him, making sure he at least wasn't crushing Gavin as he lay there catching his breath. 

Gavin let out a whimper as Ryan pulled out of him, and Ryan felt a hand slowly running down his torso as he tied off the condom and threw it in the trashcan next to the bed. He looked down at Gavin below him, letting out a small laugh as he looked him over. "Wot?" Gavin asked, his face turning even redder as he watched Ryan.

"It's just--you're covered in my face paint." Ryan chuckled, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth as he laughed. He watched as Gavin looked down at himself, letting out a groan. 

"Goddammit, Ryan!" Gavin sighed, sitting up and moving towards the end of the bed. "Why didn't we think? Ugh, I was hoping for a quick clean up and then just shower in the morning, but no." Gavin grumbled. 

Ryan just shook his head, moving off the bed as well. "I'll take the sheets off if you wanna start the shower?" Ryan asked, moving to pull Gavin to his chest. "I'll even put the new ones on when we get out. I'm sorry, neither of us thought about it when we got in here." He said, leaning down to give Gavin a quick kiss. 

"Alright, go for it. It is your fault anyway." Gavin hummed, nuzzling into his neck for a moment. 

Ryan hummed in acknowledgment, kissing his temple before moving away to take the sheets off the bed. He pulled out a new set and put them down on the bed, then headed into the bathroom to join Gavin in the shower. 

They settled into bed after they had showered and put the new sheets on, and Ryan closed his eyes as he and Gavin curled around each other. "I love you, Gav." He murmured. "So much." 

He felt Gavin smiled against his collarbone. "I love you too, Rye. So much." Gavin replied, nuzzling closer.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, Ryan woke up to find Gavin out on the balcony, a cup of tea in his hands and a cigarette to his lips as he bundled up in Ryan's jacket. He smiled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he got up and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and grabbed the blanket, heading out to join Gavin. "Mornin'." He mumbled, squinting as the sunlight shone right into his tired eyes. 

"Mornin' love. Need a light?" Gavin asked, pulling Ryan in for a quick kiss. 

"I'd love one." Ryan grinned sleepily, taking the pack and lighter from Gavin. Once his cigarette was lit, he moved the pack back into the pocket of his jacket. He took Gavin's tea from him, setting it aside on the balcony table before pulling him into the folds of the blanket with himself. "It's cold." He mumbled sleepily, taking a drag from his cigarette. 

Gavin chuckled, finishing off his before throwing it over the edge. "It's the middle of winter. Let's just be thankful that it doesn't snow here." Gavin hummed, wrapping his arms around Ryan's waist. "The others are still here. Geoff wants them to hang around for a few days just to make sure everything is safe, and he paid them in full for all their contributions." Ryan nodded at the update. 

"Anyone hanging out up here?" He asked, groaning as Gavin nodded. "Who?" 

"The Risemonger's up here, Barbara, and Ellis." Gavin told him as Ryan looked off to the side in thought. "Wot?" 

"Who the fuck is the Risemonger." Ryan asked distantly, causing Gavin to giggle.

"Jon, Jon Risinger." Gavin explained, and Ryan nodded. 

"Is he the guy with the nerdy cardigans and shit? God, can't trust a man in a cardigan." Ryan wrinkled his nose, bringing his cigarette up to his lips. 

Gavin chuckled at that, causing Ryan to smile before blowing smoke. "Whatever you say, Rye-bread." 

"He looks way too fluffy! No wonder he was on the chopper team." Ryan muttered, running his fingers over Gavin's back. 

Ryan saw Gavin rolling his eyes, and let out a sigh. "Ryan, you don't even know the man. I do. He's fluffy, sure, but when you put a gun in his hand? He's an excellent marksman." Gavin explained, and Ryan shook his head. 

"Nope. I don't like him." Ryan told Gavin as he finished his cigarette, dropping it over the railing. "I don't." He leaned down, pulling Gavin in for a kiss before leading him inside, grabbing his tea on the way in. 

Gavin just shrugged, taking his tea. "Alright." He said, shutting the door behind Ryan. 

Ryan dropped the blanket back onto his bed, rummaging through his closet for a t-shirt before heading into the bathroom. He pulled on the shirt, then grabbed a hairband from the counter. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, knowing he needed a haircut. He pulled his hair back into a messy bun before he began his facepaint. He stopped halfway through as he heard Gavin snickering from the doorway, and he turned and threw Gavin a scowl, only to set his stuff down as he heard a picture snap from the phone he was holding up. "Gavin!" He cried out, running towards him. 

Gavin let out a loud, weird noise as he ran around the room, typing something on his phone as he jumped over the bed. "Ryan! Lovely Ryan, leave me be!" Gavin squawked, throwing his arms out when as soon as he got off the bed, Ryan tackled him. 

Ryan looked up, seeing Gavin trying to send the picture over snapchat. "Gavin, delete the photo!" Ryan grumbled, reaching out to grab the phone. 

They both froze and snapped their heads up as the door swung open, revealing Michael standing on the other side. Michael looked like he was about to yell at them, but the moment he saw what was going on Michael broke down laughing, hanging onto the doorframe as he bent over and held his stomach. "Just...Oh my god, I can't." Michael laughed, looking over at them again. "Jesus fucking Christ, I thought Ryan was trying to murder you Gav." Michael chuckled, gesturing. "But no, it's just...by the way, what the fuck, Ryan? Oh my god..."

Ryan jumped to his feet, heading to the doorway. "Michael, you didn't see anything, tell no one, tell no one." Ryan growled as the other seemed to laugh harder. "Michael, I will strangle you in your sleep." 

"I can't take you seriously looking like that." Michael said, waving his hands. "Also, congratulations, knowing Gavin you've just been sent to every person in the crew. Have fun buddy." Michael patted his shoulder, quickly walking back down the hall. Ryan shut the door, and he turned back to Gavin, who was throwing his phone up in the air in victory. 

He groaned, shaking his head as he walked back to the bathroom. "Ryan!" Gavin called after him, following him in. "It's not my fault you got distracted. Plus I didn't send it to everyone in the crew...But I did send it to Lindsay, Michael, Geoff, Griffon, Jack, Ray, you....you know, the important people here." He said as he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. "Though, I think you should keep your hair like that, it's cute." Ryan stayed silently, glaring at him in the mirror as he picked up his faceprint again. "Ryan, lovely Ryan, c'mere." 

Ryan sighed, setting it back down again before turning to Gavin, rolling his eyes at the giant smile on his face. Gavin reached up and grabbed Ryan's shirt, pulling him down and into a kiss. Ryan soon melted into it, bringing a hand up to cup the back of Gavin's neck to keep him there. When they pulled apart, Ryan smiled lightly down at him. "This doesn't make me any less upset." He hummed, kissing Gavin again quickly before moving back to finish his makeup. 

"Mmm, I know." Gavin said as he stood up, wrapping his arms around Ryan's waist. "Oh my god, Ryan." Gavin gasped, making Ryan pause. 

"What?" He asked, frowning. Had he messed up somewhere and hadn't noticed?

Gavin squeaked excitedly. "Okay, you know how you're the Vagabond and all that? Well, I mean what if you walked into a pizza place, and instead of robbing them blind for their money, you robbed them for the pizza instead. Think about it, no one would ever believe them and you'd get free pizza! Have you ever done that before? Robbed someone for food instead of money?" Gavin asked, nuzzling into the back of Ryan's neck. 

Ryan thought about it for a moment, hope twinkling in his eyes. "I could have so many pizzas." Ryan whispered, making Gavin laugh. 

"Are you seriously considering it? I'm only kidding, Rye." 

"Gav, Gav, Gav! Free pizza! I never even thought about it! I'm gonna do it. Gavin, I'm gonna go out and do it." Ryan said, excitedly finishing up his face paint. 

Gavin chuckled behind him, kissing the back of his neck before moving away. "Alright sweetie, I guess we're having pizza for breakfast, huh?" Gavin said as he went and grabbed Ryan's jeans, handing them over as Ryan exited the bathroom. "Well, we should tell the guys, they'll be excited." Gavin handed Ryan his keys and phone before heading out of the bedroom. 

Ryan grabbed his mask and followed him out, furrowing his brow as he heard music, and bumped into Gavin as they entered the living room. They stared, watching as Barbara and Ellis had their phones up, filming as Ray and Jon were recreating..."Gavin, are they doing Rent?" He whispered, leaning away as Gavin nodded. 

"Would you light my caanndlleee??" Ray sang off key as Jon lit the candle he was holding, and Gavin just shrugged, taking a seat on the couch to watch. Ryan rolled his eyes, leaning down and kissing the top of Gavin's head before he put on his mask, heading to the elevator. 

Ryan headed straight for the garage, climbing into his Zentorno and heading out. When got to the nearest pizza place (a Little Cesar's, score), he parked and got out, heading inside. Within minutes he had a big stack of Hot 'n' Ready pizzas in his arms. "Wait, hold on." He said, pulling out his phone. He stood in front of the frightened cashier as he pulled up snapchat, quickly snapping a photo of him in his mask holding pizzas with her. Once he got back to his car, he put the pizzas on the passenger seat, typing a caption of 'Just got some free pizza!' sending it out to the crew with a chuckle. 

He looked up as someone began leaning next to him on his car, and he put his phone away and put a hand to his knife as he turned to look at who it was, pausing to see Reggie standing next to him. Ryan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man next to him, keeping his hand where it was. "Thought you left town." Ryan snapped. 

Reggie just nodded. "I was going to, but Edgar and I talked it out with Geoff. We both have apartments here in town, and he's giving us two weeks to move out and get everything settled, then we're to head out of town. It's a fair deal, but it also means that for the most part, if I go anywhere I've got a tail. It took me half an hour to shake the one I had this morning, and then I stumbled onto you quite by accident. Though, I had been meaning to have one last chat with you before I left. If you want to join me, we can chat at my apartment?" Reggie asked, looking into Ryan's car. "Maybe I can take a pizza off your hands..." He suggested, standing up and heading to the red Adder parked behind the Zentorno.

Ryan sighed, getting in his car to follow behind Reggie. This was the last time he'd humor him, Ryan would make sure of it. This was his chance to make it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Reggie, that he just wanted to be left alone. Ryan thought back to his crew, even to the weird things that had happened before he left, and he smiled. He wouldn't give them up for the world, and as he started the car and pulled out onto the street behind him, he knew he'd do anything to stay with them and make sure they were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter was inspired by Bryn in the comment section. She mentioned it, I said I might do it, and then it just got so stuck in my head I had to do something. Also, disclaimer: Not affiliated with Little Cesar's whatsoever and yes I know there aren't any in Los Santos but I needed the Hot 'n' Ready pizzas okay I'm sorry


	16. Chapter 16

Ryan sat on Reggie's couch as the other tidied up a bit, moving boxes so they were stacked neatly. "So, what did you want to chat about? Ryan asked, taking off his mask and laying it in his lap. He watched as Reggie took a seat on the other side of the couch, looking over at him. 

"I wanted to catch up, see how the crew life was treating you. You never liked it when we were younger." Reggie pointed out, causing Ryan to roll his eyes.

"When we were younger, we weren't really a crew. It was just the three of us and occasionally one or two other people." Ryan told him. 

Reggie just shrugged, leaning back. "Well, we had some of the same aspects as a crew. We were family, before you left us. By the way, I can see that going to school for theatre really did well to make your life more normal." He muttered sarcastically, looking Ryan up and down. "Well, I guess it has made you a little more theatrical, hasn't it James?" 

"Are you going to bring that up every single time?" Ryan groaned, resting his head in his hand. "Just because you hate it doesn't mean everyone else does. And besides, I've got a reputation now, something you don't have." 

Reggie's face twisted with anger, his fists curling and his knuckles going white. "James, we're here for a friendly chat, calm down." He murmured, breathing deeply. "Tell me about your crew." He said, then smirked. "Or better yet, tell me about that little Brit twink. He was surely interesting." 

Ryan frowned deeply, shaking his head. "No, we're not talking about Gavin." He snapped. 

"Why not? I think I have the right to hear about your new lover, do I not?" Reggie asked innocently, smiling softly. 

Ryan shook his head again, standing up. "No, you don't. You have no right to talk about him, look at him, or go near him. You have no right to go near any of them. They're my family now, my crew. If this little meeting here was your way of trying to get me to leave them for you guys, it's not going to work. There's nothing you could say that could make me come back to you." Ryan said as he picked up his mask, pausing as Reggie stood up as well. 

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye for good." Reggie said, steeping closer. "Goodbye, James. It's been quite a pleasure knowing you." Reggie purred, moving in and pressing a kiss to Ryan's lips. 

Ryan froze for a moment as his brain processed what was happening, but soon he was pushing Reggie away, hard enough for him to stumble a bit. Ryan glared down at the man, shoving his mask back on over his face. "I'm leaving." Ryan snapped, letting an icy glare settle on Reggie from behind the mask. "And by the way, you lost your right to do that years ago. Goodbye. I honestly can't wait until you're dead." He turned his back on Reggie, quickly leaving the apartment and heading for his car. Once he was in, he threw off the mask, letting it fall to the foot of the passenger side. 

He quickly pulled out his cigarettes from the pocket of his jacket, grabbing one from the pack and pulling out the lighter as well. He lit the smoke, rolling the lighter around in his fingers for a moment. He smiled lightly as he glanced down at it, remembering the day he'd met joined the crew, and met Gavin. He put the lighter and pack back in his pocket, turning on the car and pulling out. Ryan thought for a moment, then decided to make a quick stop before he went back to the penthouse.

...

 

When the door to the elevator opened, he looked around, smiling behind his mask at the heads that turned his way. "I brought pizza." He said, hearing Ray let out a whoop from the couch as he jumped up. 

"You also brought home a plant. Is that a cactus?" Michael asked as he got up as well, moving to help Ray grab the pizzas from Ryan. He watched as Michael grabbed the cactus from the top first, setting it aside before grabbing half of the pizzas. "Damn, took you forever to get here. I bet half of these are cold already." 

"Hey, cold pizza is still good!" Ellis said from the couch, turning back to the program playing on the TV. 

Ray nodded as he took his half of the stack and set it on the coffee table. "So is free pizza. Loved the snapchat by the way. Did you literally go in and rob them just for the pizza? That's awesome, wish I could do that." 

Michael shrugged as he turned towards the kitchen. "Whatever, I guess you assholes got a point." He said as he walked off. 

Ryan picked up his cactus again, heading to his room. "Enjoy the pizza!" He called out as he headed down the hall, and heard a couple doors from the hallway open up as he shut his own door. He heard Jack and Griffon calling out and asking why no one came and got the when the pizza arrived, and he smiled as he took his mask back off. He set the tiny cactus on his dresser, rubbing a hand over the pot for a moment before. As he took a seat on the bed and began to take off his boots, he looked up as he heard his door open, smiling at the sight of Gavin. "Hey there, where have you been hiding?" Ryan asked. 

"Me and Dan were messing about with my equipment, checking some of the street cameras on the south side of town. We saw a man pick up a hot dog out of the trash and begin eating it. Thought I was gonna throw up." Gavin shivered, taking a seat next to Ryan. "You took awhile to get here." He commented, smiling. 

Ryan's stomach twisted, and he just turned his head and nodded to the plant. "I made a detour. I think I might get a few other plants." He hummed, setting his boots aside.

Gavin raised an eyebrow, looking over Ryan's face. "Is that all...?" Gavin asked, and Ryan knew he had to know something, somehow. 

He let out a sigh, laying back on the bed. "What do you know?" He asked, looking up at Gavin. At the other's confused look, he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, tell me. Don't deny it." 

Gavin looked down, twiddling with his thumbs for a moment. "Well, Dan said that he saw your car parked at some apartment on the camera, and then showed me on the street camera. Ryan...what happened while you were out?" Gavin asked, timidly. 

Ryan reached out, grabbing Gavin's hand before moving his other hand up to play with his bun. "After I got the pizza, I ran into Reggie." He looked up at Gavin's face as he felt the other's grip tighten onto his hand, and watched as anger settled in on Gavin's face. "He invited me back to his apartment for a chat, and I only accepted because I knew it'd be my only chance to explain to him that I was done, with him, with Edgar, with everything. And I did. I told him that you guys were my family now, and that I wouldn't leave you for the world."

Gavin nodded, looking over Ryan's face again. "Did anything else happen?" He asked, his eyes locking with Ryan's lips. 

Ryan's brow furrowed, realizing now that his face paint was probably smudged there, meaning there was no way he couldn't tell Gavin what happened. "He...kind of kissed me. And I shoved him off and left immediately. Like I said, I want nothing more to do with him." Ryan pulled the other man closer using the hand he was holding, pulling him down to lay next to him. "You guys are my family, and not only that, I love you now, Gavin. You're mine, and I'm yours." He murmured, pressing a light kiss to Gavin's temple. 

Gavin nodded, laying there for a moment before pulling away, standing up. "I think Dan said something about wanting to head to the store, wanted to pick up something or other, I can't remember. I should go see if he wants me to go, since I haven't seen him that much. I'll be back later, alright love?" Gavin smiled as Ryan sat up, leaning down to kiss Ryan sweetly. "Go and eat your pizza, you deserve it." Gavin hummed, pulling away and heading out of the room.

Ryan smiled as he watched him go, standing up and stretching as he headed out of the room to join the others in the living room. He sat down next to Jack, letting her lean on him as she stuffed pizza into her mouth. "Please do this like once a week, Haywood." She hummed next to him, making him laugh out loud. "You think I'm joking, but I'm not. I need this, Ryan. I need this pizza." She deadpanned, taking another bite as he laughed harder. 

"So, what're we watching?" Ryan asked, looking towards the TV. 

"Steven Universe!" Ray cried out, throwing his fists in the air. "Only the best cartoon ever, and none of you assholes have ever seen it. You're gonna love it, just join us all in watching." Ray said excitedly as everyone else groaned. 

"Ray, are you high again?" Jon asked from his chair on the other side of the room, raising an eyebrow.

Ray just laughed, grabbing another slice of pizza. "Jon, I'm always high." Ray said, taking a deep inhale of the pizza. "Mmmm, this smells so good, who agrees?" Ray said, smiling over at a now-scowling Jon. "See, the joke's that Jon can't smell." 

Ryan just rolled his eyes, turning to look at the TV while everyone talked around him, smiling as he settled in. Yeah, there was no way in hell he'd ever leave these people.


	17. Chapter 17

Hours later, Geoff walked into the room, quickly taking the remote from Ray. Everyone protested as he instead turned it over to the news, but everyone quieted as they saw the story playing. The journalist on the screen was standing in front of a husk of a burnt-out apartment building, and Ryan's blood ran cold as he recognized the street. Everyone looked back at Geoff, seeing the distressed look on his face. "So, I think we can all guess whose masterpiece that was." Geoff said as he crossed his arms. "Kdin came to me not long ago and told me about this, and he was able to get a few details. Looks like someone killed our friend Reggie, then poured gasoline everywhere and lit a match. We had a deal with him, and I always stick by my deals." Geoff said, slamming his fist onto the back of one of the couches. "Now, here I am, with a dead man and two missing Brits, and probably another angry man looking for blood. I need all of you on the streets now, looking for Dan and Gavin." 

As if on cue, the elevator doors opened, and a beat-up Dan stumbled through. Jack shot up from where she was curled up next to Ryan, rushing over to help him stand up straight. "What the fuck happened?" She asked, glaring up at Geoff as the man took a step forward. 

Dan's head lifted, looking around the room before locking eyes with Ryan for a moment, then turning to look at Geoff. "I couldn't stop him." Dan whispered, and Ryan stood up, walking over there. He saw Geoff's face turn from one of anger to concern, and he looked over to glance at Griffon, an equally concerned look on her face. 

"What happened?" Geoff asked quietly. 

"Give us a minute." Jack said, motioning for Griffon, Geoff, and Ryan before leading Dan into the kitchen.

Ryan followed after her, waiting until Geoff and Griffon were in the room before he shut the door behind them. 

Dan shook his head, leaning against the table. "Gavin and I were messin' about with the street cameras earlier, and then he left the room for a moment when Ryan here got back. Then, about ten minutes later, he's coming back in, spouting off some nonsense angrily and saying we had to go do something, and that we needed to leave right then. I knew I couldn't let him go off alone, so I agreed and said I'd go with him, so we left. Next thing I know, we're pulling up at some apartment that we'd seen on the street cameras." Dan explained, taking a glance at Ryan. 

"And then?" Geoff asked, taking a seat in front of Dan. 

Dan took a deep breath, looking up at Ryan again and then to Geoff. "Well, it turned out to be that guy's place, and Gavin paid a neighbor to tell him which apartment was his. I followed Gavin up, and I tried to stop him, but next thing I know he was yelling more nonsense, and then he was just beating the guy, hitting him over and over, and then the guy stopped breathing before I could even pull Gavin off." Ryan let out a sigh, turning away as Dan continued. "Then at that point I knew it was too late, so we poured gasoline everywhere from the jerry can Gavin had brought up, and then as we left Gavin lit a zippo and threw it in. We got our asses out of there, and then made our way back to the car." 

Geoff let out a sigh, placing his face in his hands. Ryan turned his head back to face everyone, shrinking a little as he saw Griffon staring at him coldly. "That's clearly not the end of the story," He heard Geoff say. "So what happened then?" 

"We only got a couple blocks before someone shot out our tires and we had to stop. After that, we were being pulled from our car by the other guy, who looked furious. The guy started kicking the shit out of Gavin, and when I tried to stop him he started wailing on me before he grabbed his gun, hitting me over the head with it. I woke up in the back seat of the car, and Gavin was gone." Dan looked up between Griffon and Geoff, his eyes a little wet. "I tried to stop him, but I couldn't." 

Ryan looked back over to Griffon, finding her gaze back on him once more. He saw Jack standing up from the corner of his eye, but couldn't tear his eyes away from Griffon's. "Alright, I'll call the others, and we'll find out where Edgar's taken him and we'll get him back. Geoff, you and Griffon should stay here, Ryan and I can rally the troops and get him back.

Geoff's head snapped up to Ryan, his own face suddenly filling with fury. "Ryan's not going anywhere right now." Geoff snapped, looking back to Jack. "Go get everyone else, and get Barbara up here to see if she can't find out where Gavin could be. I need all of you on the streets looking for him, and I need half-hourly updates until he's found." Jack just nodded, glancing over at Ryan with worry before heading out of the room to tell the others of the news.

Ryan looked between the remaining three in the room, his eyes widening as he saw Griffon stand up once more. Ryan took a few steps back, stopping as he hit the wall behind him. Griffon walked over to him coolly, looking up into Ryan's eyes. "He left after he talked to you." She murmured quietly, searching Ryan's eyes for a moment. 

Ryan jumped as Geoff slammed both of his fists onto the table, and Ryan's hand went back and landed on his knife was for a moment. "I fucking knew it! I fucking knew you were trouble, and now, my son's gone!" Geoff roared, standing up so fast the chair he was sitting on was knocked over. Geoff stomped towards Ryan, a hand wrapping around the lapel of his jacket. "What the fuck did you tell him!?" Geoff asked. 

Dan piped up from behind them, turning the Ramseys' focus onto him. "Look, it's not Ryan's fault Gavin ran off." Dan said, standing up himself as he clutched his head. "Well, it kind of is, but it would have never been started if I hadn't seen Ryan's car parked outside of the apartment building. 

"Wrong thing to say!" Ryan cried out as Geoff's hold on him got tighter, shoving him further into the wall. 

"You were at Reggie's apartment!?" Geoff yelled, seething with anger. 

Griffon's hand landed on Geoff's arm, and Ryan let out a breath as Geoff's attention turned to her instead. "Geoff, calm down, listen to what he has to say." She said, looking to Ryan. "What happened?" 

Ryan looked between the two, keeping his hand on his knife as he began explaining. "Well, I originally went out to get that pizza, and after I got it I was leaning against my car for a moment, and then the next thing I knew he was there. He invited me back to his apartment so we could talk, and I figured I'd give him that, hoping I'd give him the closure he needed to get the fuck off my back." He told them, moving on as they kept staring. So I followed him and we talked, and I told him that I was done, and that I wanted nothing more to do with him. Then I left. Gavin asked me about it after he mentioned what Dan just told you, and I told him the truth. He seemed fine when he left me, mentioning that Dan needed to go to the store and that he wanted to go with him. Then we all just started watching TV and I just didn't realize that he hadn't come back yet..." Ryan explained, looking between the two. "If I had known what he was really going out for, I wouldn't have let him go, I swear." 

Geoff growled, shifting his gaze to Dan then. "So, I shouldn't just be mad at Ryan here, I should be mad at you too?" Geoff said, letting go of Ryan, taking a few steps towards Dan. 

Dan took a couple steps back, and Ryan watched as Griffon's hand shot out, pressing back on Geoff's chest to stop him. "Geoffrey! Being mad is doing no good here. Let's all calm down and wait for any news from the others." 

Ryan cleared his throat, waiting for them to look his way. "When he hear news that the others have found him, we should probably head out. Knowing Edgar, he's probably hired a gang or a couple bands of mercenaries to protect him while he's got Gavin." Ryan told them, moving away from the wall. "Dan can stay here, but the rest of us should make sure we're ready to go at a moment's notice. The others will probably need our help." 

Griffon nodded, turning to Geoff. "Hear that? That means we have something to do while we wait. C'mon, the others will be fine for now. We'll join them when we hear news." She said, grabbing Geoff's arm and leading him from the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This is the longest chapter of the fic, being almost twice as long as every other chapter.

Almost an hour later, Ryan's head snaps up as Geoff's phone rings. He watched as he lifted his head from where it was laying in Griffon's lap, looking between her and Ryan before grabbing the phone from the pocket of his tux. "Jack?" Geoff answered, listening intently. Ryan leaned forward as Geoff sat up, looking down at the floor. "Good. We'll be there in about ten minutes....I know we're about half an hour out, but it's this thing called 'speeding' and 'running every red light', terms I would have assumed you were very familiar with." Geoff rolled his eyes, standing up and gesturing for Griffon and Ryan to make sure they had everything. 

Ryan quickly stood up, strapping his rocket launcher to his back before grabbing his bag of weapons. He looked over at Griffon, giving her a soft smile of reassurance as he noticed the look of worry on her face. After she smiled back and went to grab her own things, he leaned down and picked up his mask from the end table, placing it over his head. Ryan turned to the elevator, where Geoff was hanging up the phone, readjusting the strap. "What's the news?" Ryan asked, walking over to join him as the doors opened. 

"The Lost MC have him, and they've got all their men guarding their base up north. He heard word of it from a contact we have up north, the guy told him all about how the numbers of men there increased exponentially about an hour and a half ago and how he 'overheard' a couple men discussing what was going on." Geoff said as they got into the elevator, waiting until it got to the bottom. 

"Do we have anything else to go off of?" Griffon asked, checking her bag for the fourth time that night to make sure she had ammo. 

Geoff shook his head. "Barbara's still trying to hack into their security system at their fuckin' trailer-park base, but she's unfamiliar with the type of system so she's learning as she goes. That means she's pretty much out on this one, and we're flying completely blind for the first time in a long time." Geoff told her.

Ryan tapped his foot as he waited for the elevator doors to open, all but bursting out as they finally did. He didn't even hesitate as he headed straight for his armored car, grabbing out the keys and unlocking the car. He turned back, throwing the keys to Geoff before climbing into the backseat. Geoff and Griffon climbed in after him, starting the car immediately. Geoff pulled out of the garage quickly, speeding his way up north to where the base was.

It seemed like it took an eternity to get there, but really it had only taken about fifteen minutes. When they all climbed their way out of the car, Ryan noticed the amount of bloodshed going on. Left and right he saw dead and wounded members of the Lost and even some men he recognized as being hired guns from his own days of going job-to-job. He stepped over every body that was in his path, noting the struggle still going on as he got further into the base. 

Ryan grinned behind his mask as he saw about five men using a van for cover, all shooting towards another car that Michael and Kovic were hiding behind, clearly pinned down. Ryan grabbed the rocket launcher off of his back, taking aim as he made sure none of his own crew members were in the blast range, and fired off a rocket. As the van blew up, he heard Michael let out a cry of victory, and saw him moving to head for better cover with Kovic. 

To his right he saw members of the Lost staring at him, and laughed manically as they quickly turned tail and ran, no doubt running off to find an easier target to shoot at. Ryan reloaded the rocket launcher as he walked further in, keeping his eyes peeled for any more opportunities. As he moved, he saw several people of his own on the battle ground; James hiding behind a crate holding a folded shirt to his stomach and a shirtless Lawrence next to him providing cover fire, Ray sitting on top of a building picking off stragglers whenever the Lost seemed to move their cover and Jon doing the same from the building opposite, Ellis and Jack sitting back to back from behind a porch, picking off anyone who came around either corner, Geoff and Griffon joining the fray by charging in and shooting down anyone who they recognized as not being on their team. 

Ryan held his rocket launcher at the ready as he began sneaking around buildings, looking in every window to see if any of them held Gavin and Edgar. After he'd checked his third building, he turned the corner to find himself in front of a rather large group of the Lost standing about twenty feet in front of him, their backs turned as they fired up at Jon and Ray. He took aim once more, taking a couple steps back before firing off yet another rocket. 

He approached the mess with pride, stepping over flaming limbs as he reloaded his rocket launcher. Ryan narrowed his eyes as he looked across at another building, seeing a man run inside. He kept his rocket launcher at the ready as he made his way over, firing off another shot as he saw some men running between buildings close by. When he reached the building, he kicked down the door, grinning as he saw a man cowering inside near a door that was cracked open. 

The man pulled out a gun, pointing it up at Ryan with a shaking hand. Ryan just shook his head, throwing the rocket launcher onto his back before pulling out his own gun, firing off a shot. He stepped over the body of the man on his way to the door, keeping his gun up as he kicked the door opened lightly. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, rushing into the room as he found Gavin strapped to a chair in the center of it, his head down. He pulled out his knife and began to cut away at the ropes that tied Gavin's hands together behind the back of the chair, but froze as he heard the click of a gun behind him. 

"I'd suggest you drop the knife." Edgar's voice drifted to him from across the room behind him. 

Ryan dropped the knife, turning to face the man with his hands up. "I'd just like to point out, I do have a rocket launcher on my body. You shoot it, and we'll all go down in flames in his tiny room." 

Edgar just grinned, taking a step closer. "The only way I could shoot it is if I somehow miss the shot I have aimed at your face." Edgar told him, laughing a bit. "God, do you know how long I told Reggie you were bad news? Years. Ever since you left us that first time, running away to find a life of your own, ever since you abandoned us. We were your family. We took you in when you were weak, and we made you who you are today!" Edgar cried. "And this is how you repay us? By sending out your little bird here to pick us off?" 

Ryan shook his head, keeping his eyes on the man in front of him. "Gavin went there of his own accord, I had nothing to do about it!" Ryan told Edgar. "Look, what happened was a misunderstanding, and I'm sorry." 

"Bullshit!" Edgar yelled, and Ryan noticed the way he swayed slightly, stumbling for just a moment as he thrusted his gun forward. The man had to be high, drunk, or both. "I know you, James. I know how you think, I've seen how you do whatever you want and you don't ever think about the consequences. I've seen you tear down men who had built up so much, and I've seen you talk your way out of the stickiest of situations using that fuckin' charm of yours. Well, it's not gonna work on me, because I know all your moves!" Edgar shouted. He smiled then, turning his eyes to the man tied to the chair behind Ryan. "But I also know your weakness now. I know how to take you down a couple notches, and I know how to make you so dead inside that you're going to look back and remember this day, and on that day it'll be just be you in a room with a gun, and you know what? You'll take the shot. You know what else?" Edgar asked, laughing to himself. "That day's not too far into the future." 

Ryan's whole world became dark as he looked at the gun facing Gavin, and when he saw Edgar's finger move to land on the trigger, it was almost like the world slowed down as Ryan reached out and grabbed the gun, quickly twisting Edgar's arm and disarming him. He moved closer, hitting Edgar over the back of the head before he loomed over the man on the ground, watching as Edgar's face slowly changed from deranged and victorious to defeated and oozing terror. "You don't know me at all. If you did, you'd know that Gavin here is not my weakness, and never has been. Gavin is what makes me even stronger." Ryan pointed his gun between Edgar's eyes, firing off a shot. 

He threw the gun aside, bending down and grabbing the knife before once again cutting off the ropes that tied Gavin's hands and feet together. He leaned forward as he finished, catching Gavin as he slumped into his chair. He ran his fingers through Gavin's hand, careful to avoid where he saw dried blood caked on the right side of his head. "Gavin, wake up." He murmured, lightly smacking his cheek. "Gavin, please, you need to wake up." He said a little louder, this time grinning as he heard a small groan coming from the man. 

"Rye?" He heard Gavin as, his voice groggy as he tried to wake up.

"Yeah, I'm here Gav, I'm here." He mumbled, pulling Gavin into a tight hug. After a moment he pulled away, helping Gavin to his feet. "C'mon, we need to get you out of here." Ryan told him gruffly, pulling out Gavin's gold gun from his holster, knowing that Gavin would want it after he was found. 

Gavin took the gun, looking around. "Where are we?" 

"We're in the Lost MC's trailer-park, Edgar brought you here. Hopefully the others have brought down the numbers enough to where we can get our asses out of here safely. Now c'mon, we need to get out of here." Ryan took his rocket launcher off of his back as he lead Gavin from the room. 

Once they reached the front of the trailer, Ryan peeked out of the doorframe, wishing he hadn't just kicked down the door. They could really use the cover right now. He looked around, seeing the numbers of the Lost significantly mowed down, and he raised his rocket launcher as he began to slowly head out of the building. Upon seeing the immediate area clear, he waved Gavin out to follow him. "Alright, we're not too far from the car, we can make it there in one piece if we stick to cover and hurry." Ryan told Gavin, leading him into the nearest cover as he heard gunshots. 

"Ryan, people are shooting at us." Gavin said, and Ryan noticed the way his head was swaying from side to side, as if he was going to fall over at any moment. "I just want to go home. I hurt, Ryan, I hurt everywhere." 

Ryan reached out for a moment, placing a hand on Gavin's wrist. "I know, I know Gav. We're gonna go home, okay? We'll be on our way soon." He reassured the man, taking his hand back as he stood up, firing off a rocket in the direction of the gunshots. He heard Michael yelling from near where it hit, probably upset about being so close to a rocket. "Alright Gavin, c'mon! We gotta hurry." Ryan pulled the rocket launcher onto his back once more after he'd reloaded it with the last of the ammo we had for it. He reached down, grabbing both of Gavin's hands and pulling him up quickly.

Ryan looked up at Ray, locking eyes with the scope of the sniper rifle he was looking through. He jerked his head to Gavin, then pointed over to where the cars were parked. Ryan watched as Ray pulled back from his rifle, yelling over to Jon for a moment. Gavin leaned against him, and Ryan looked back at him as he grabbed Gavin's hand, tangling their fingers together as he lead Gavin quickly into some more cover.

Eventually they made it to the cars, and Ryan was surprised to see most of the crew already there waiting, their guns raised as they protected the vehicles. Geoff and Griffon pushed off of the armored car, both of them rushing over to hug Gavin at the same time. Ryan sat for a moment as he let it happen, but then he cleared his throat, looking down at them. "Guys, we need to get out of here. We'll all be able to make sure he's okay once we're back to base, but he needs to get out of here and get some rest."

Geoff nodded as he and Griffon pulled away, heading for the driver's seat of the armored car once more. He paused as Jack ran over, and Ryan just focussed on getting Gavin into the back of the car. 

"We're gonna finish up here, and then we'll be on our way back to the penthouse. I'll give Caleb a call and let him know he needs to head up to the penthouse with some supplies to give Gavin a once over. I'm sending Lawrence and James his way first though, Ray told me that James has been shot in the fight. Apparently it's not too bad, but it's bad enough. Kdin will be here shortly to airlift them out to Caleb." Ryan heard Jack say as he climbed into the backseat with Gavin. 

"Alright, keep me updated then, and tell Caleb that he not only needs to keep me in the loop on James' status, but that when he's done he better get his ass up to that penthouse as soon as he can." He heard Geoff, then watched as he climbed in. "Keep everyone else here safe, pull out as soon as you can and head off. I wanna leave some members and I will expect a meeting to be arranged with their boss later this week. I'll see you all back at the penthouse." 

Ryan ran his fingers through the cleaner parts of Gavin's hair as he listened, letting out a breath of relief once the car had started up and began driving them all back home.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to announce that this is kind of the ending chapter of this story, and I'd like to apologize to all those who just want it to keep going, but I feel like I've found a good ending point. Also, yes, you read that right: this is KIND OF the end. I have planned on a short, fluffy and funny little epilogue as well for the last chapter, but technically this is the end.

A week had passed since that night with Edgar and the Lost. The Funhaus guys had left a few days ago (after James had spent days insisting that he'd been shot in the gut, and therefore he deserved to recover in his own bed in San Andreas, even if it wasn't any more comfortable than the bed here) and the guys from Rooster Teeth had decided to stick around for a few extra days to make sure that Dan and especially Gavin were okay. 

Dan had been quick to recover, since he hadn't suffered more than some bumps and bruises in the fight with Edgar; on the other hand though, Gavin had been examined by Caleb and diagnosed with a mild concussion and two fractured ribs on top of all the bumps and bruises and cuts that were scattered over his body. Gavin, being Gavin, had insisted that he was okay and even tried to help Geoff with anything he could while dealing with the Lost MC.

After two days of Gavin constantly trying to help out in some way when he was, quite obviously, in no position to be doing any crew work right now, Geoff seemed completely fed up. So, when Ryan had finally convinced Gavin to lay down without his phone, the TV on, or near the computer, it was no surprise that Geoff showed up to give him a talk, taking a seat on the end of Ryan's bed after entering the room. 

"Well, you're looking quite comfortable, Gavvers." Geoff pointed out as he sat down, and Ryan just watched him from where he was running his hand through the head of hair in his lap. 

Gavin scoffed, adjusting the sunglasses he'd taken to wearing around even more than usual. "I'd be more comfortable if I had something to do." Gavin muttered. 

Geoff nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "Yeah, about that Gav? I'm finally laying down the law. You're trying to do too much than is safe for you to do, so I'm issuing a no-work or for you. You're not allowed to do any work on the computer or even look at it until your concussion has healed fully." Geoff said, and quickly brought up his hand as Gavin's mouth opened. "On top of that, I would also like to issue a no physical work order as well until your ribs are healed." 

"But Geoff!" Gavin squawked, slowly sitting up. "That'll be weeks! Hell, that's almost two months!" Gavin pouted, looking back at Ryan for help. 

Ryan brought his hands up in surrender, shaking his head. "I can't do anything about this, Geoff's word is law." Ryan pointed out, looking back at the man in the tux across from him. 

Gavin sputtered, turning back to Geoff. "But you let Ryan work before his shoulder was completely healed when he got shot!" Gavin protested, and Ryan saw Geoff just shake his head. 

"That's because Ryan's Ryan; he's been shot before and probably worked on worse. You, you spend most of your days behind a computer, so you don't get injured much." Geoff pointed out as Gavin stood up, running a hand through his hair. 

"It's not fair!" Gavin told him, frowning before he left the room. 

Ryan's head turned back to Geoff as he heard a sigh. "He'll get over it, I'm sure." Ryan murmured, trying to reassure Geoff. 

"Yeah, probably." Geoff muttered, looking up at Ryan. "Look, you know I hate to do this, but I'd like to issue a no-work order to you too. I know I told you that you could come with me when I met with the Lost, but I need someone to keep an eye on Gavin, and you're the only one who can convince him to fucking relax. For now, Barbara and Adam said they'd take over your jobs until Gavin's concussion was gone at least, then they'll be leaving town." 

Ryan just nodded. "Geoff, don't worry about it, I understand." He told him, smiling. "Honestly, I think Gavin's just trying to make up for all the trouble he caused, and that's why he's trying to do so much. I can talk to him later, and maybe I'll be able to talk some sense into him." 

"That sounds good. Thanks, Ryan." Geoff said as he stood up. "Thanks for taking care of him. And I'm sorry for that night. I went a little overboard, and I got really mad." 

Ryan just shook his head as he stood up as well, placing a hand on Geoff's shoulder. "Don't, you're fine. Hell, if I were you I would have even had the added effect of a gun to my head. You were just trying to protect Gavin, and I know you probably still don't think that highly of me, especially after all of this...but I understand, alright? And I'm not upset by it." Ryan confessed to Geoff, smiling at him as he spoke. 

Ryan was shocked as Geoff pulled him into a hug, and it took a moment before he began to hug back. "Look Ryan, if anything this whole thing has made me gain more respect for you. You were the one who brought him back to me, and I can't be angry about that. Also, you've done nothing but make him happy. Really, I'm in the wrong here, alright? So, this is me saying I'm sorry, for everything." Geoff pulled away then, patting Ryan on the face before he turned around. "Just keep it up, because if you don't my feelings might change again." Ryan stared after him as he left, and noted this down in his head as one of the strangest moments he'd ever been a part of. He shook his head, grabbing his book as he got up to go find where Gavin ran off to. 

He found him in the living room, laying down on the couch as he talked to Dan. He quirked his lips up in a smile as he walked over, gently lifting Gavin's head for a moment before settling in, opening his book as the other nuzzled into him as he talked. Ryan opened his book as he tuned out their words, letting himself relax knowing that he didn't have anything else to do that day.

Hours later, he looked down as he felt a finger poking his side, and he raised an eyebrow in question as he saw Gavin looking up at him from behind his sunglasses. "Need a light?" Gavin asked, making Ryan chuckled for a moment before nodding. He watched as Gavin slowly stood up, and took the hand offered to him after he had closed his book and set it onto the end table next to the couch. 

He let himself be lead away and out to the balcony, taking out the pack of cigarettes as Gavin took out his lighter, shutting the door behind them. He handed a menthol over to the other before placing a regular between his lips, leaning down a little bit as Gavin held the lighter up for him. "Thanks." Ryan hummed, blowing out smoke as Gavin lit his own. He pulled the other man close as he shivered, wrapping his arms around him. 

"I kinda wish I'd brought a sweater now." Gavin chuckled, looking out over the city. "We should go down to the beach." 

Ryan raised an eyebrow again, looking down at Gavin as he took a drag from his cigarette. "The beach? Gavin, it's going to be January in a week and a half. It's way too cold to go to the beach." 

Gavin chuckled, turning back to look up at Ryan. "So? It doesn't make it any less beautiful, you nob. Besides, we can bundle up. It's not like we'd be stupid enough to go swimming." Gavin grinned. "It'll be great. Just you, me, and the beach. Think of all the nice pictures we can take." 

Ryan just chuckled, leaning in to kiss the top of Gavin's head. "Alright, why not. We'll head down there tomorrow, if you'd like." Ryan hummed, grinning at the look of excitement on Gavin's face. 

"Thanks, Rye-bread." Gavin said, blowing smoke out. They stood in comfortable silence as they finished their cigarettes, and even after they threw their cigarettes over the railing, they made no move to head inside. 

Ryan looked out over the city as the sun began to set behind it. He remembered all the great times that had happened over the last year, smiling widely. Looking back now, he wouldn't change a thing, because along the way he'd become a part of a new family who took care of each other, and he'd fallen in love with a man who bought ridiculously expensive things for fun, always had some weird hypothetical to spit out at a moment's notice, and smiled like the shining sun. No, Ryan wouldn't change a thing. 

He was perfectly happy the way he was, standing on top of the city with the world in his arms.


	20. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this is the OFFICIAL ending of the story. I hope you all enjoy!

A year had passed since that day he'd moved into the penthouse with the crew, and in that time he'd seen some weird things, but this took the cake. The last thing Ryan was expecting when he got home from a mission was Michael, Gavin, and Ray all in the living room...doing the Old Time Rock and Roll dance from Risky Business in unison. Complete with the no-pants and popped-collar button down combo. 

Ryan just shook his head as he watched, waiting until they had finished before he began clapping his hands loudly. Ryan laughed as he heard Gavin let out a squawk, saw Ray bow, and just heard Michael very loudly exclaim "Swiss fucking cheese!" as he stood there. When he finally calmed down from his laughing, he just looked over at them, grinning behind his mask. "Okay, I know it's weird to see three men wearing no pants, high ankle socks, and button-ups with popped collars doing this dance in unison, but it's even weirder knowing that at some point a man in a skull mask and covered in blood started watching them and even applauded it." Michael said, making Ryan chuckle. 

"Hey, when you do it in the middle of the living room at 3am for anyone to see, it's your own fault when things like that happen." Ryan hummed. "Besides, I think it was a wonderful performance." 

"Thank you!" Ray said as he sat down, picking up his bong from behind the chair. "See guys, at least someone appreciates it and doesn't just think we're weird." 

Ryan laughed at that. "Well, I'll let you all get on with whatever it is you're doing. Have fun." Ryan told them as he picked up the orchid that he had set on the counter, ignoring the sigh he heard from Michael. 

When he reached the room, he settled the orchid in on the table next to the balcony where some of the other plants he'd gotten now took up residence, running a finger over the leaves for a moment before he headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. After he spent his time getting clean, he returned to find Gavin laying on the bed, having yet to change as he played around on his phone. "Hey there." He smiled as he climbed into bed next to him. 

Gavin set his phone aside, smiling back. "Hey yourself." Gavin replied, turning to face him. "I'm assuming everything went well tonight, seeing's as you brought home another plant. It looks lovely. What'd you name this one?" 

Ryan looked back over his shoulder at the orchid, shrugging. "I haven't yet. If you want to name it, you can." Ryan told him, turning back and pulling Gavin to him. 

Gavin thought about it for a moment, then grinned up at Ryan. "Gworb. I'm naming it Gworb." 

Ryan pushed Gavin away lightly, laughing. "That's a terrible name for an orchid!" 

Gavin let out a small offended squeak, laughing as well. "C'mon, you said I could name it, and here I am naming it!" Gavin said, nuzzling his way back up against Ryan. 

He shook his head, wrapping his arms around the Brit once more. "Alright, fine. I don't like it though." Ryan chuckled, kissing Gavin's forehead. 

Gavin cooed in approval, pulling back to smile up at Ryan. "That's fine." Gavin seemed to pause for a moment, bringing a hand up to Ryan's face. "I love you, Rye." He murmured.

Ryan just smiled back. "I love you too, Gav." He said, then frowned a bit as Gavin shook his head, sitting up. 

"No, Ryan, I love you." Gavin said again, then held his hand up as Ryan's mouth opened to respond. "Hold on." Gavin said, turning around to the side table on his side to rummage around in the drawer. After a moment he pulled something out that Ryan couldn't see, hiding it behind his back. 

Ryan looked up at him from where he lay on the bed, confused. "Gavin, what's going on?" He asked, watching as Gavin took a deep breath. 

"I was going to do this later, but I can't wait. Ryan, lovely Ryan, just let me start out with saying that you've been great since I've known you. When I first met you, I didn't really expect that any of this would happen, or even that we would make it this far when we got together. But here we are, and it's great, it's amazing. I've never been happier because of you." Ryan's heart began pounding in his chest, knowing where this was going, because really, where else to speeches like this go? "So, basically, what I'm trying to say here, is James Ryan Haywood, my lovely Ryan, would you do the honors of letting me spend the rest of my life with you?" Gavin asked as he pulled out a small, velvet box from behind his box. 

Ryan stared at the box, opening and closing his mouth for a moment before he finally reached out and grabbed it, opening it up. "I-- Gavin, I really don't know what to say." He mumbled, staring at the ring inside. 

"A simple 'yes' would do?" Gavin suggested shyly, laying down once more. "Also, I want to point out that I had the ring custom made. It's a steel band, and I paid for the guy to add in little bits of flint instead of gems, see? Flint and steel." He murmured, making Ryan smile wide as he picked up the ring from the box. 

"It's very nice, Gavin. I love it." He said as he slid the ring onto his finger, tearing his eyes away to lock with Gavin's. "And I love you. So, yes, I will happily spend the rest of my life with you." 

Ryan's heart swelled up as he saw the grin on Gavin's face, and he pulled him in for a kiss. "I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is here, and I'd like to thank all of those who stood by reading this as I wrote it. I'd like to thank all of those who will read it in the future as well, and I hope that all of you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it for you all. 
> 
> I'd also like to give myself a pat on the back, because not including a few drabbles, this is the first fanfic that I have ever actually finished. I'm very proud of my work here, even if I think it's not the best of anything I've ever done in the past. I'm so happy that I get to share this moment with everyone, seeing as to me it's important that this is my first finished fic. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone out there, and I love you all!


End file.
